


PMD Loopholes

by Ysavvryl



Category: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Adventure, Gen, Human in a Pokemon World, Mute Human, Teamwork, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-06-06 17:58:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 142,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6764257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ysavvryl/pseuds/Ysavvryl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time is being eroded in the land of Pokémon.  Who is chosen to save the day?  A big sister, a bookworm ninja, an ex-outlaw, and an alien creature.  Based of Explorers of Time/Space/Sky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No, Not the Chosen One!

At the top of a mysterious tower, a grand being stood in deep thought. He had a body of pale blue armor which lay low to the ground. However, his neck was long and tall, putting his head high above the ground to observe all around him. Dialga considered his home in Temporal Tower which, despite his loving care, was beginning to fall apart. What had happened here? It frustrated him that, as the Being of Time, even he wasn't sure what was going on.

A flash of golden light appeared, drawing his attentions away from his thinking. When it was gone, there stood a large bipedal beast of a Pokemon that, despite the pink and white armor, looked similar to himself. He nodded to her, then spoke in a voice that demanded a Caps Lock key. "PALKIA, WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?"

Although his sister, the Being of Space, was decidedly more feminine, she too spoke in a grand voice that few could match. "WHAT DO YOU THINK? TIME IS GOING WONKY AND YOU'RE NOT YOURSELF. IT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY AFFECT SPACE AS WELL."

He growled at her. "WHAT, YOU THINK I CAN'T DO MY JOB?"

"I KNOW YOU CAN MANAGE IN MOST CASES, BUT THIS IS DIFFERENT. YOU USUALLY DON'T SNAP AT ME IMMEDIATELY."

He looked away from her, ashamed. "FINE. THIS IS DIFFERENT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON." He sighed. "AND IF THAT'S SO, THIS PROBABLY INVOLVES A TIME TRAVELER OR TWO."

Palkia looked confused. "YOU SUSPECT CELEBI?"

Dialga shook his head. "NO, SHE KNOWS BETTER AND I TRUST HER. ALSO, GIVEN HOW WE KNOW HER, WE WOULD IDENTIFY IT AS HER POWER IMMEDIATELY. NO, THIS POWER IS UNKNOWN."

"UNOWN?"

He cringed. "DON'T JOKE AT A SITUATION LIKE THIS! MY TEMPER'S GOTTEN AN AWFULLY SHORT FUSE LATELY, SO DON'T PUSH IT."

She was disappointed, as she rather liked teasing him. "SO WHAT OPTIONS DO WE HAVE?"

"I THINK IT'S TIME TO INVOKE A CHOSEN HERO."

Palkia groaned. "OH NO, NOT ANOTHER CHOSEN HERO. DO YOU REMEMBER HOW INCREDIBLY ANNOYING THE LAST ONE WAS?"

He glared at her. "GOT ANY BETTER IDEAS? LOOK AT US; WE'RE LEGENDARY POKEMON ABOUT FIVE TIMES THE SIZE OF MOST ORDINARY POKEMON AND TEN TIMES AS POWERFUL. WE CAN'T JUST WALTZ ON OUT THERE AND START ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHO IS UNDERCUTTING OUR POWERS."

She bit her lip, admirably holding back on some taunt. "FINE THEN. WE'LL GO WITH A CHOSEN HERO. WHO'VE YOU GOT IN MIND?"

"I'M LOOKING INTO THEM. FATE HAS GIVEN ME SOME ODD POTENTIALS THIS TIME AROUND. WANT TO SEE THEM?"

"SURE THING."

Dialga bowed his head in thanks, then roared. A screen of light appeared between two stone pillars. What heroes did fate have in mind?

"Hold on! We'll make it through… come on!"

Static.

"I… I can't…"

Static.

"No! Whaaaaa!"

Palkia gave her brother a look. "WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT? THERE WASN'T EVEN A VISUAL."

He tensed in embarrassment. "DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT! I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO INTERPRET THAT ONE. MAYBE FATE'S SCREWED UP AS WELL."

"WELL IF TIME IS GETTING THERE, FATE'S GOING TO HAVE AN AWFUL HARD TIME DOING ANYTHING. ANY VISIONS THAT MAKE SENSE?"

"THE OTHERS DO, MOSTLY."

Three Pokemon huddled in a lonely mud hut that sat by a shallow pond. They were all quite young. "Wh-what are we going to do now?" the youngest child said, sniffling.

The middle child hugged his brother. "Don't worry, we'll take care of you. We won't be going away. We promise, right sis?"

The oldest child nodded. She was trying terribly hard to be strong for her brothers, but was as upset and fearful as them. "Right. Although, things are going to get tough. Maybe I should get a job in town."

"The Kecleons might hire you," the middle child suggested.

"Or maybe you can be an explorer," the youngest said hopefully. "That's what you said you wanted to do before…"

"That's supposed to be a tough one to enter, but maybe," their sister said thoughtfully. "I'll do my best, but I don't know if even that would be enough."

Dialga tapped one of his four feet. "KIND OF TYPICAL, AN OVERLY MATURE YOUNG POKEMON WITH ADULT RESPONSIBILITIES PUT ON HER. BUT THOSE ONES CAN PULL THROUGH IN ADMIRABLE FASHION."

Palkia shrugged. "YEAH, IF THE RESPONSIBILITY DOESN'T DRIVE THEM INTO OVERSTRESS AND EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN FIRST."

"THAT'S WHAT FATE GAVE ME TO WORK WITH. HERE'S THE NEXT ONE."

He sat in the branches of a leafy green tree. The clear and sunny sky gave him good light, but not for playing. With a thick book about half his size opened up against the tree trunk, he was completely absorbed in reading.

"So you can uncover the hidden traps by throwing sticks and pebbles over them," he mumbled to himself. "But they will remain active, triggering to any Pokemon that walks on them. They can be deactivated, but it takes special training to do so…"

Scratching his chin, he thought over that.

"It would be a valuable skill… and pretty cool to say that you can walk through a dungeon without hitting any traps." He smiled, then continued reading.

"HEEEEYYY!" a shrill voice yelled up at him. "Come on down here and play with me!"

"I'm reading!" he called back.

"But it's too nice of a day to just be reading. Come on!"

"Maybe later." He turned the page.

The Mareep below huffed in annoyance. "Well fine, be that way! Loser!" Then she ran off.

The name calling caused him a momentary cringe, but he brushed it off. "You won't be getting anywhere just goofing off all day," he mumbled, then let the interruption slip his mind to learn from the book.

"AND THEN WE HAVE A BOOKWORM. VERY GOOD FOR FERRETING OUT INFORMATION, BUT I'M NOT SO SURE ABOUT HOW WELL THIS ONE WILL BE IN A FIGHT."

Palkia grinned. "SO YOU WANT TO GO WITH A NERD HERO? I GUESS. HE'S A BIT TOO SERIOUS FOR MY TASTES."

"WELL EVEN IF HE'S JUST HELPING OUT THE CHOSEN HERO, AN INFORMATION HOARDER WILL BE VALUABLE." Dialga changed the screen to the next option.

He came to a fork in the road that he had gone by in coming in. However, as was the way of the Mystery Dungeon, the fork did not lead back. Instead, it was an even split between right and left. He went right and ran smack into a dead end. The thorny trees and the bramble underbrush looked too painful to try running through. "Aw rock smash. Now what?"

A loud bark came from the fork as a Poochenya threw up dirt in his crazed running turn. "Hold it, villain!" he called triumphantly. "We've got you now!"

Thinking fast, he lowered his ears and body. "Aw, whatcha got to pick on me for? I ain't done no harm."

"You're a thief and a treasure stealer. We're here to bring you to justice!" He spoke quite loudly, to inform the rest of his team that he had the mark cornered.

"Ain't done nothing wrong," he said, using an oddly rhythmical way of speaking. "It was false accusations, you see. A greedy-eyed 'mon thought he could make off with my treasure by accusing me of stealing it first. But I took it fair and square. I don't want to hurt nobody. It ain't nothing. I just want to start up a nice life, yeah? Settle down with some cute Torchic, set up a nice family life, nothing to harm nobody else. You don't have to take me in, it'll all be worked out real nice if I can get back on my own to explain things."

The Poochenya's eyes glazed over as he listened to the speech. "Nothing's wrong."

He felt glee at the trickery, but held back on showing it. He began creeping out of the dead end. "Yeah, nothing's wrong. Just stay there and everything will be fine. It's all good and fine."

But it wasn't fine when one of the teammates, another Poochenya, raced down the way the two of them had come. He barked loudly. "Hey, hey! What're you doing?"

"I explained things," he said, continuing with the voice. "It's okay, everything will be fine."

"Everything will be fine," the first Poochenya said in a sleepy monotone.

The second one barked. "Hey, I didn't think that your kind could perform hypnosis… wait, you definitely can't!"

Dropping the sweet tone, he noted in annoyance, "Well that's the end of that pla…. OH SWEET MOTHER OF MEWTWO, WHAT THE FREAK IS THAT?!"

The two Poochenyas, even the one who thought he was hypnotized, quickly turned to the spot in the woods he was staring at. "What, what, where?!" the second asked fearfully.

The thief then bolted down the other hallway. It had been nothing, but the distraction was enough for him. Too easy, though. Not as fun as making the loser explorer think he was hypnotized.

As he thought that, he accidentally crashed into the third Poochenya. She growled. "Halt, thief! That was a dirty trick to play on my brothers! You're getting no mercy from us."

"Aw rock smash," he muttered again.

Palkia rubbed her chin. "THE POOCHENYAS?"

"NO. THE OTHER ONE."

"HE'S A THIEF."

"FORMER THIEVES MAKE FOR GOOD HEROES."

"IF THEY CHANGE THEIR WAYS. IF NOT, THEY ROYALLY MESS THINGS UP."

Dialga shook his head. "IF FATE GAVE HIM AS AN OPTION, HE CAN'T BE ALL BAD. SO THOSE ARE MY CHOICES."

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THEM?"

"I'M GOING TO OPEN UP A LOOPHOLE BIG ENOUGH FOR GIRATINA TO FLY THROUGH."

She looked at him skeptically. "ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT? LOOPHOLES IN HISTORY CAUSE ALL SORTS OF PROBLEMS."

He stomped his foot. "I'M COMPLETELY AWARE OF THAT. BUT MY ENEMIES ARE USING LOTS OF LITTLE LOOPHOLES TO UNDERMINE MY POWER. I CAN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE OF THIS MESS. SO I'M GOING TO MAKE A LOOPHOLE TOO."

"AND THAT'S SUPPOSED TO FIX THINGS?"

"GOT ANY BETTER IDEAS?"

"NO. THIS SHOULD BE ENTERTAINING, AT LEAST UNTIL YOU COMPLETELY LOSE YOUR MIND."

He glared at her.

She smirked back.

"FINE. BUT YOU KNOW THAT I WON'T BE SO NICE TO YOU FROM NOW ON?"

"I'M USED TO IT."

Dialga then called up an orb of blue light. Something was inside it, but it was difficult to make out. "OKAY THEN. I KNOW WHO I WANT TO HAVE THIS NOW." He opened up a portal to reach the ears of the one chosen hero. "YOU! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM A DIRE THREAT. TAKE THIS ARTIFACT AND…" he threw it into the portal.

The screen promptly showed that the Chosen Hero had been knocked out cold. Fortunately, the Pokemon hero was alone, so no one noticed a grand voice from nowhere chucking a strange object with deadly force. The two legendary Pokemon were stunned into silence for a moment.

Palkia coughed. "YOU KNOW, YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE YOUR HERO BY KNOCKING IT UNCONSCIOUS."

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!"

"STILL, REMARKABLE AIM YOU HAVE, CONSIDERING HOW FAR AWAY YOU THREW THAT THING AT SUCH A SMALL TARGET. GOOD GOING."

Dialga snarled at her. "OH, YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT FOR THAT SARCASM. WHEN I LOSE MY MIND, I'LL MAKE SURE TO CREAM YOU FIRST."

"NOTED. NOW WHAT?"

"WHAT ELSE? WE WAIT FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN."

"BO-RING. HEY, WANT TO PLAY PING PONG?"

"MEH, WHY NOT? BUT NO CHEATING."

"DOES CHEATING INVOLVE USING OUR POWERS?"

"NO."

She grinned. "EXCELLENT."


	2. Meet the Recruits

The ocean waves lapped the beach, touching his body with cold brisk water. Something wasn't right, though. Twitching his ears, he rubbed his paws against his face. Sparks of electricity came from the fluffy spots on his cheeks. Something… wasn't right.

He sat up and looked over himself. His fur was yellow and short. However, there were fading images in his mind of a time when he had been peach and tall. It seemed like there had been a monstrous threat to the existence of the whole wide world which he had set himself to thwarting by any means possible… wait a minute… that wasn't right either. That was positively loony.

Looking around at the beach, much of the sand seemed undisturbed. However, there were ashes remaining of some bonfire, and some chick's lost ribbon. He was, without a doubt, a Pikachu. Last night, he had been at a beach party. As for what happened and why his head ached the way it did, he wasn't sure. While shifting through weird images, he came across an idea.

"Okay, who the heck put an X-Eye Seed into the punch?!" the Pikachu shouted. And he had been doing so well with that Shinx girl too, boasting that soon he would…

He looked over at the eastern sky; the sun was above the autumn trees.

"Ah rock smash, I'm late!" He rushed back along the beach, taking a shortcut through the woods to reach Treasure Town faster. The dry leaves crackled under his paws, stirring up some roosting bird Pokemon. However, the Pikachu didn't care. If he couldn't sleep in, neither should anybody else.

He ran through the southern part of Treasure Town and went straight for the Marowak Dojo. It was a building standing all by its lonesome self, dome shaped like every other one in town. This one had a horned skull decoration on top, which always struck the Pikachu as rather creepy and morbid. Shuddering, he zipped in the door and into the entrance room.

It was a warm and earthy place, with a dirt floor, a colorful patterned rug, and more bones decorating the walls. The Pikachu got onto the rug, calling, "Sorry I'm late, I was… I was… huh?"

When he looked around, he only saw two others there. There was a Treecko over by an oversized skull. His red paw grips held onto a large brown book, hiding much of his body, aside from his scaly green feet. Poking his reptilian head over the book, the Treecko said, "You're early."

"Wha, huh?" the Pikachu asked. "But the sun was over the trees…"

"It's just now rising."

"But…" When he glanced out the window, though, the Treecko was proven right. The sun was just coming up over the horizon.

"Time's screwed up; live with it." He ducked his head back behind the book to keep reading.

"Huh." He looked over at the other Pokemon in the room. It was a female creature, but of a decidedly odd appearance. Her five-fingered thin paws hooked together over her black knees, and her long white hair fell partly over the left side of her face. Behind that hair were turquoise blue eyes, looking curiously at him. The Pikachu smiled. "Hey there, chick. What's your name?"

She smiled and waved, then made some odd motions with both paws. But she didn't speak.

"Um, yeah," the Pikachu said. Weird girl, he thought to himself.

A part of Treasure Town that was usually ignored was thriving with activity. The Marowak Dojo was a large bone-covered dome that stood over one of the few Pokemon-made Mystery Dungeons in existence. As the owner of said dungeon, Bartholomew the Marowak was able to allow adventurers, explorers, and civilians alike inside for training in a safe environment. But since this training dungeon wasn't as lush or as treasure-stocked as regular dungeons, most who would dare go in preferred to go to the 'real' thing.

Today was different. Today was recruitment day for the local Explorers Guild. As they had to test the applicants in a controlled environment, the Marowak Dojo was the perfect place to hold recruitment. Bartholomew knew this; he had spent weeks prepping and spiffying up his business to look as impressive as possible. That should get them to come back later for all their training needs, he considered.

There was a group of nine applicants, along with ten of the resident members of the guild and a Magnemite from the Sheriff's office. There were some applicants he saw every day around town, as well as others that he didn't recognize. This included one very strange looking Pokemon that Bartholomew couldn't even identify. The odd female creature sat by the wall in a quiet excitement.

Wigglytuff's right hand 'mon, a Chatot, flapped his black wings for attention. "Excuse me! Quiet down, if you will. Welcome to recruitment day! We thank you all for showing interest in becoming brave explorers in our fine guild. I am the Head of Intelligence, Charlie Chatot, and this is our Guildmaster, the famous Bartleby Wigglytuff!" He spread his right wing to the tall pink Pokemon, who twitched his long ears in reply. "Now if you'll wait a moment, I'd like to make sure that everyone is gathered." He took out a piece of paper and held it in his wings to read.

The guild members looked bored already, while the recruits waited nervously.

"We have… Marian the Mudkip… Stacy the Squirtle… Poppy the Piplup… Benny the Bulbasaur… Trey the Treecko… Kichu the Pikachu… and Maxwell the Munchlax. That's the guild list. Who do you have, Magnemite?"

The little magnet Pokemon sparked. "The sheriff's office sends the former outlaw Kip the Skitty, who seeks to offer his services in tandem with his punishment for breaking the law. He is not terribly dangerous, just tricky."

Kip lowered his pink ears. "Sheesh, 'mon, you make it sound like I'm some loser scrub."

"Okay, we shall watch him good," Bartleby said cheerily.

"Right. Wait, you said there were nine applicants. I only have eight including the Skitty."

The Guildmaster clapped his paws together. "Oh, right! Here you go." He handed over a handwritten note.

Charlie took it. "Okay, then we also have Sally the Human… wait, human?"

The other Pokemon in the room whispered curiously. A human? Wasn't that a creature only of myth? They weren't Pokemon, yet they weren't mindless animals. Some stories said that humans did wonderful and magical things. Other stories said that humans were treacherous and deadly.

But then the odd female creature got up and walked over to the group. As she stood, Bartholomew could see that she was awkwardly tall and slender. She was mostly hairless save for a pair of eyebrows and white hair that covered most of her head and fell down to her waist. And she wore a rather large number of accessories. While most Pokemon would only wear a bow or a bracelet, Sally wore a yellow top of loose fabric with tighter black bottoms. She also had strange metal sleeves covering the entirety of both forearms, with matching devices on her feet. Another device of odd transparent material hung around her neck, connected to something hidden under her cloth top.

"Yes, that's what she is," Bartleby replied.

"Bu-but what's a human doing here?" Charlie asked. "They only live in lands that are far away over the seas. So where did she come from? And she dwarfs everyone in the guild! She could step on some of the smaller ones like Junior the Diglett."

"I don't know where she came from; she only speaks with her hands and I don't understand that very well."

Sally moved her hands through a series of signs, but Bartholomew (and everyone else in the room) didn't know what to make of them.

"So she doesn't speak?" Charlie asked, not liking that fact.

"Nope," Bartleby replied, not caring one bit. "She's actually deaf, but she has these magic ear things that lets her hear. Sally can understand us just fine."

"It's your decision," Charlie said, although he clearly disapproved. "A deaf mythical creature… All right, so then. We thank you all for applying. Your first test is to go through Bartholomew's first maze. It is a simple three level dungeon, but gives you a realistic feel for going through real Mystery Dungeons." Bartholomew frowned under his skull mask, but no one took note. "After the three levels, you will find a warp floor with a special box. Bring that box back as proof that you completed the maze. If you get knocked out by the wild Pokemon, the traps, the pitfalls, or anything else in there, you will be safely transported out and taken care of. But don't worry; nothing can seriously harm you inside. Keep in mind that dungeons are chaotic places. The hallway you just went through may lead to a completely different room if you turn back. In this dungeon, the passage to the next level takes the form of wooden stairs. In other dungeons, such passages have different appearances."

"Good luck, and have fun!" Bartleby cheered.

The next couple of hours, Bartholomew was more concerned with monitoring his Dojo's energy than with watching some inexperienced recruits try to get through the simplest maze. Mystery Dungeons were wild magical places and wild magic had an irritating habit of not doing what the user wanted. The tamed magic that Pokemon used to produce explosions, wind, shields, and so on, that stuff always did the exact same thing every single time. Wild magic did whatever the heck it wanted.

To make a Mystery Dungeon of somewhat reliable consistency, Bartholomew had to constantly shuffle energy. The plasma sources of magic had to be switched and manipulated so that they didn't go berserk. The metal wires that made up the routes of magic had to be shifted, disconnected, reconnected, rerouted, and cut off so that it didn't burn anything out and cause a chaotic monster house point.

In this case, he had to put specific treasures inside the maze and make sure they stayed put until the recruits picked them up. Most treasure, when dropped or lost in a Mystery Dungeon, was at risk of being stolen. Not only by thief Pokemon like Kip the Skitty, but also by gremlins. Gremlins were little greedy creatures that most people didn't see. The few witnesses only caught glimpses. The best description of the gremlins was that they were short, shabby, and ugly. Even Marowak Dojo attracted a hive of gremlins. Bartholomew had to employ various strategic measures to make sure that his supplies, any test treasures, and anything really valuable were safe from the gremlins' dirty paws.

Bartholomew did come back to the main room when the last of the guild recruits came in. Charlie the Chatot called for attention again. "All right then. Who came back with the treasure boxes?"

The Squirtle, the Treecko, the Skitty, and the human all produced small yellow boxes. Three other recruits seemed disappointed in themselves that they didn't find a box. The other two, including the Pikachu, had gotten injured enough that they had to be taken to the doctor.

"Great, then you four have passed our first test," Charlie said, happily flapping his wings. "As for the three of you, you made a fine effort, but I'm afraid that we have to ask you to leave now. Maybe we'll see you in better shape next time."

"Stupid poison spike trap," one of the rejected ones muttered as the three of them left the Dojo.

"As for the four of you, great work! For the two weeks of your initial training, you will be working as a team. Once those two weeks are over, you will be tested again. At that point, you may decide to stay as a team, or split up and join some of our other guild teams with approval of their leaders. Now, you may open the boxes you found and take the treasure inside as your own."

There were some cheers, both from the current Guild members and the new recruits. "Eek, there's so many new people this time!" the Sunflora cheered.

"I hope you new guys are ready for a tough job!" the Loudred added.

Opening the boxes, the Treecko found a bright ribbon of a Yellow Bow, while the Squirtle next to him found a black headgear in a Detect Band. They both looked a little wary (or embarrassed) of their treasures and quietly arranged a trade that seemed to satisfy them. The Skitty found a Pecha Scarf, a creamy yellow-orange length of fabric that, when he wrapped it around his neck, dragged along the ground because it was two sizes too big. The human found a pair of darkly colored glasses. However, the glasses had been made to fit a smaller Pokemon like her new teammates. It was way too small for her face, so she simply shrugged and tucked them into a pocket on her top.

"Also, you get these to start with!" Charlie hopped over and handed out three odd brown bags with adjustable straps.

"Great, Treasure Bags!" the Treecko exclaimed. "An absolute must have for explorers. They can hold a lot of stuff, even things that seem too big for it. Just never put a Treasure Bag into another Treasure Bag. The result isn't pretty."

"That's exactly right," Charlie said, bobbing his note-topped head. "Even that last bit; I'm amazed that a young Pokemon like you would know that kind of thing."

He seemed bashful and patted his snout. "I studied for this, really hard."

"Hey, why don't I get one?" Kip the Skitty asked.

"Because even if you have reformed, you have a history of thievery," the Magnemite officer stated.

"Aw rock smash," he grumbled, swishing his tail.

"Prove yourself trustworthy and we might see about that," Bartleby said.

"Yeah, really prove yourself," Charlie said, indicating that it would take a lot for him to trust Kip with a Treasure Bag. "Now, these bags will currently hold sixteen items. But as you prove yourselves to be more effective and stronger explorers, they can be expanded to hold even more. So work hard! Now, we'll take you to the guild and show you around."

"Congratulations, guys," the Marowak said as the group left the Dojo. They would be back a few times over their initial training course. He had to make sure they would want to come back after that.

The local Guild headquarters was located northeast of Treasure Town, on a cliff that faced a wide river. At the edges of the wide path, there were totem poles depicting various Pokemon placed between large torches which were just being started up in the evening light. The building itself seemed to be a giant Wigglytuff dome, with a gated entrance under its chin. In front of that, there was a circular hole in the ground covered by a hefty grate.

"This is the main entrance," Charlie said. "That hole in the ground is for our security; you'll likely be learning about that in the coming days. There are a few other entrances, but as the newest apprentices, you won't be told about them."

"They won't even tell me," a Bidoof said quietly to Stacy the Squirtle.

"Oh really?" she asked back quietly.

"Well I did just come from the last recruitment day, so that's probably why. Still, I can't figure out where'd those entrances would be."

"Our security is very important," Charlie went on, as the gate opened. "So don't be trying to do anything clever by sneaking inside. Now, follow me."

Inside, there was one large room with a hole. A rustic looking ladder led down. While the doorway was large enough that Sally the human could walk under even though she was six feet tall, the ladder had many closely put together rungs for the ease of smaller Pokemon. Sally had to carefully look for larger extended rungs made for bigger creatures like herself.

The next floor was wide and open. There were three halls trailing off in the southern part of the room and another ladder hole next to the one leading to the entrance, both at the northern part of the room. Four large boards dominated the walls while a scattering of various sized benches were grouped into circles.

"This is the work floor," Charlie explained. "The two largest boards there are the job boards, where various tasks are posted for explorers to complete. The third board with the chalk is for you to leave messages for each other or whatever you like, so long as you don't post anything vulgar or ridiculous. The fourth board has tips and strategies that you might want to study up on, although some might be posted on the chalk board if the established explorer groups feel generous. This room can also be used for group discussions, although we do have spaces for private meetings if you feel the need for them. Down those halls are various offices of people who do the day to day tasks of running the Guild for the explorers, such as Chiaka the Chimecho here. Please be nice to these folks, as we appreciate their hard work."

"Yeah!" the current guild apprentices cheered, making the recruits feel a bit out of the loop.

Down on the next floor, there was another wide open space. This one seemed more relaxed than the other, as some flowers grew in a long bed by the window. There was yet another ladder going down, two halls going out from the east and west sides, and a hall going north.

"This is the living quarters for those who stay at the guild, including you apprentices," Charlie explained. "The floor below is the storage level, so you won't be able to access all of it. Back there is the Guildmaster's office. Over there on the west is the mess hall and over on the east is the dormitories. You new recruits get rooms 3A and 3B. The males go in the A rooms, and the females go in the B rooms."

"What about genderless?" Trey the Treecko asked.

"They can sleep wherever they feel like," Charlie answered. "But we don't have any right now, so there's no problem. So that's it for your tour. Any questions?"

The recruits glanced at each other. The Chatot wasn't the easiest person to listen to, as he was explaining the most basic things to everyone as if they were idiots. If they had a question, maybe the other apprentices could answer them better.

"All right, then welcome to your new home!"

Kip stumbled as he walked down the hall. "Fudge," he grumbled, then pulled off the Pecha Scarf and threw it on the ground. "It looks wicked cool on me, but tripping ain't my style." He scampered into room 3A and checked out the straw beds.

"Not much different than my room back home," Tray noted, examining the contents of the room. Aside from the beds, there wasn't much. A chest to keep stuff in, or to use its flat top as a table. A small round window that looked out over the river and forest. A low bench. That was it.

"It's got a roof," Kip pointed out. "It's perfect." He settled into one of the beds to test it out and was soon quite relaxed with his pink tail curled around his body.

The girls went to room 3B. On the way, Sally picked up the Pecha Scarf and looked it over.

"You'd think a thief wouldn't toss away something he could sell," Stacy noted. "Maybe he's… hey, we've got beds!" The Squirtle went into the room and looked about at everything with glee. Her long tail curled and uncurled in excitement.

Sally ducked into the room; apparently, they didn't expect their apprentices to be so tall. The straw beds were too small for her, so she looked around to figure out some way for her to lay down.

"Oh, Sally, Stacy!" The Sunflora peered into the room. "Oh my gosh, so awesome to have more girls around! I'm Flora. Hey, I'm real sorry about not having enough straw for you, Sally. We weren't expecting someone so big."

She shrugged and made some movements with her hands. She seemed to realize that the other two didn't understand it, so looked disappointed. Then, after another look around, she moved the trunk and bench so that she could have a wall to curl against.

Flora smiled. "Well, we might be able to arrange things in a day or two, like getting a water bed for you."

Stacy replied, "I'd be okay without one, but it would be nice to have." Sleeping underwater would keep her blue skin in better condition, but her dark brown shell was now strong enough to keep her from drying out too much.

"It's no trouble. Anyhow, dinner won't be long off, so don't go sleeping just yet."

"I'm so excited," Stacy said, trying to help Sally even when she didn't need it. "I didn't think I'd actually make it in, but wow, I did. This is going to be so amazing. I hope we'll all be good friends."

The human smiled back at her.

Dinner at the Guild was a noisy affair. It was the apprentices, the workers, the Guildmaster, and his assistant, but apparently any team affiliated with the guild was welcome to drop in if they wanted. The recruit team sat together, eating and not sure what to talk to each other about.

Except for Stacy, who happily chattered about dreams of exploring. "It must be so exciting to venture into unknown lands, finding clues about historical mysteries and discovering treasures once thought lost. Maybe we'll see something that has never been seen before."

"Well there's lots of exploring teams out there," Trey pointed out. "But there may still be unknowns in the world."

"Unowns?" Kip mocked, then laughed.

"Not that," Stacy retorted.

"Problem is, the most mysterious dungeons are the most dangerous," Trey went on. "They wouldn't send a new group like us to investigate them. I've read a lot about dungeons before. They seem really dangerous, but if you can outsmart the dungeon, you will be rewarded."

"That is true," Kip said, patting at a berry in his bowl. "As a wise 'mon once told me, 'Sometimes the dungeon loves you, and sometimes it wants to put you through heck'."


	3. A Beginner's Duties

Dawn's light filtered through the windows. Sally sat up and stretched. She looked down at her new teammate; Stacy wasn't quite awake yet. The human picked up a pair of small devices and tucked them into her ears. Then she took the Pecha Scarf and worked on it for a little while with tools from her small tool box. It was quiet, peaceful…

"IT'S MORNING! WAKE UP TIME!"

Sally shuddered and touched her hearing aids. No humming started, although her mind hurt from the sheer volume of the voice. Stacy jumped out of bed and ducked into her shell, frightened. Various groans from other rooms cropped up. "WHAT IN GIRATINA'S NAME WAS THAT FOR?!" she heard Kip yell in the room next door.

"TIME FOR THE DAILY MEETING! I'M NOT GETTING IN TROUBLE BECAUSE YOU NEWBIES ARE LATE IN GETTING UP! SO GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUMS AND GET IN MOTION!"

"Larry, cut it out!" one of the other apprentices called.

"NOT UNTIL YOU'RE UP AND AT'EM!"

"I hate you…" another voice said.

"Ugh," Stacy groaned, shuddering in her shell. "G'morning Sally."

Sally waited until her teammate had come back out of her shell to sign the same back. Hopefully she could guess at the meaning. She put her project away and crawled out into the hall.

The daily meeting consisted of announcements, reprimands, praises, and lessons. "And I want to remind everyone," Charlie said, "that if you get an escort mission to unknown places, it is dishonorable to learn of the location, but then refuse to take the escort with you to explore."

"But what if it's a really dumb escort?" Larry the Loudred asked. "I mean, like it's a Magikarp who wants to see Amp Plains?"

"Eek, no one would be that dumb," Flora the Sunflora insisted.

"But some of them are."

"Quiet," Charlie stated. "You should accept any escort who wishes to go along with you if you choose to do their job request. That is the proper work ethic."

"Or, just don't do suicidal escort missions," Bartleby commented.

"Guildmaster!" Charlie said in an astonished tone. "You can't honestly suggest that."

"But then, who asks to go on a suicidal mission?" he went on. "The staff is pretty good at dissuading truly idiotic requests. So if an escort mission makes the boards, it must be a determined Pokemon who knows about the dangers they are getting into. If the job request includes an escort, you should take that Pokemon along with you, protecting it as if it were your own friend with you. And who knows? That escort might just become a new friend!"

"Ah, yes, of course that is so," Charlie said, looking relieved. "All right, it is time for the daily cheer! Give it your best shot so the new recruits learn it quickly."

"ALL RIGHT!" Larry shouted.

"Not right into meeee…" Chiaka the Chimecho whimpered, wide eyed with her glass-like body ringing.

"Um, you, not at full volume," Charlie stated, pointing a wing at Larry.

"Aw rock smash," he grumbled.

"Together now!" Wigglytuff cheered.

The four recruits listened as the staff and the rest of the apprentices shouted out the daily cheer. The only look of displeasure was Larry, who still didn't like being told to not shout. "ONE, DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO, RUN AWAY AND PAY! THREE, SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"All right, Pokemon," the Chatot added, "let's get down to an honest day's work!"

"HOORAY!" everyone cheered, jumping or pumping their fists in the air.

"Um, seriously? We have to do that every single freaking morning?" Kip asked in a quiet voice as the others went on to their jobs.

Charlie looked at the four who remained. "And for you, today you get cleaning duty."

"What?" Stacy asked.

"Cleaning duty?" Kip complained. "That's for scrubs."

"You're to learn you way around the guild building and to always give your best, no matter what. Remember, don't shirk work."

"Fine," Stacy said. "Where's the cleaning supplies?"

Later…

"Why do we have to do stuff like this?" Tray asked as he swept around the second floor. "We're supposed to be learning to explore, not doing menial tasks."

Stacy was nearby, polishing a desk. "Don't complain! Do you want to be thrown out right off the bat? They could be testing our resolve to be explorers. So we have to get through the menial stuff first."

"Daff cuff beff," Kip tried to say around the brush that he was holding in his mouth. He dropped it to say, "Sally, quit showering dust all over us!"

The human chuckled, a slightly odd sound. As the tallest of the group, she was dusting off the high places. Apparently, that hadn't been done in a while.

The next morning…

"IT'S MORNING TIME! UP AND AT'EM!"

"I hate you…" a voice grumbled again.

This morning, the recruits were able to copy the others in the daily cheer. Charlie spoke to them after the meeting. "Okay, today, you are filing reports made yesterday. Ask Mimen about the forms."

They went to one of the hidden rooms on the second floor, a large space of filing cabinets and desks. A Mr. Mime was there. "Oh, thank goodness, I was running behind. Okay, here's the form that the teams fill out after every mission." He then went on to explain about referencing the cards and arranging the forms correctly.

"I hope we don't mess up," Stacy said, after they were left on their own.

Trey shrugged. "It's like the library sorting system. It's not too bad when you get used to it."

"I feel my brain melting into primordial ooze…" Kip drawled, thumping his head against the table.

Sally smiled and patted his head.

"Oh sure, it's nothing for you to worry about," he muttered at the floor. "Your paws are perfect for handling those pencils with ease. And the lizard has a sticky grip so he doesn't lose the things. My paws keep slipping."

"Why'd you join the guild?" Trey asked Stacy.

The Squirtle ducked her head back a little. "Why me?"

"I'm just curious."

"Well," she brought her blue head back out. "I'm helping to support my family. My mom is sick and we needed some extra money. So I came out here for recruitment, although I didn't think I would actually make it. So why did you join?"

He patted his snout. "Nothing as selfless as that. I want to have some adventure, but mostly… well, I want to be a ninja."

Kip lifted his head up and laughed heartily. "What, that?"

"Hey, get back to work!" Mimen called.

They went quiet, although the Skitty was snickering while Trey seemed torn between fuming and blushing. Then Kip nudged him. "Don'tcha have to join a ninja clan to become a ninja?"

"Well yes, but how am I supposed to find a ninja clan? I hoped that becoming an explorer might get one to notice me. It is silly, I guess, since I'm a major bookworm."

"I don't think it's silly," Stacy said. "It's a good plan, and maybe you can become ninja-like even if they don't find you."

Sally passed over a note she'd written. 'Ninjas have to know a lot of stuff, so it's good that you can study well.' She had added a little smiley face as well.

Trey smiled. "Thanks."

The next day…

"IT'S MORNING! GET UP ALREADY!"

"I hate you…"

After the daily meeting, Charlie told them, "Okay, today you're going back to the Dojo for dungeon practice. Since you're in a group, you'll be set up in Dungeon Two. Go through it until Bartholomew is satisfied."

It became known between the four trainees as crazy hard training… repeating the same dungeon maze over and over… it never relented. They usually got back before the other apprentices did, and were sent to do various chores, like taking over sentry duty for a while, or helping the office workers with their jobs. While Kip grumbled that he was too experienced for such newbie nonsense, Stacy worked hard at it.

One evening, she took a moment to look at pictures along the work floor walls. They were drawn by local artists of notable teams. Over in one of the halls, there was a drawing of a Blastoise, a Azurmarill, a Lunatone, and a Lanturn. The label under it said, 'Team Tidal. Redone in honor of those who have fallen. Rest in peace, friends.'

Stacy felt sad at seeing the picture here. Three of the four Tidal members had disappeared on a mission several months ago; their deaths had only been confirmed several weeks ago. And she knew them. They had trained her, although she had taken it all for a game when she had still been a child. However, these people, her family, were gone now.

"I'll give it my best, always," she promised them quietly. "I won't let you down."

* * *

 

Almost at the end of two weeks…

"IT'S MORNING! TIME TO GET UP!"

"I hate you…"

"OKAY, I'M GETTING TIRED OF THIS! WHO'S THE ONE MUTTERING THAT YOU HATE ME?!"

Sally and Stacy looked at each other, but there was silence in the dorms.

"WHO IS IT ALREADY?!"

No answer.

"Coward," Larry mumbled.

After the daily meeting and cheer, Charlie spoke to the recruit team. "Okay, you've all been doing nicely! Today, you are to go on an exploration of a real Mystery Dungeon."

"Really?" Stacy asked, excited.

"Yes, really." He rubbed his beak. "Go south of town, along the beach, and you will find Beach Cave. Go in and explore around, then come back in the evening and report what you've found. It's a simple little dungeon, so you can make due with the items you find inside."

"It's where I found Sally," Bartleby noted. He smiled at the human. "So maybe going inside will help you remember stuff."

She made a sign with her hands, to which he clapped in approval.

"So you found Sally in Beach Cave?" Stacy asked.

"Right," Charlie said. "She was unconscious and when she got up, she didn't recognize where she was. Bartleby was able to figure out her name, but then she can't remember anything else."

"It's odd to have a human around here," Bartleby added. "But she's nice, so we don't mind."

"I was excited until he said that we had to explore Beach Cave," Stacy said as they walked along the sandy beach south of town. Her Yellow Bow was tied up and attached to her curling tail. "Me and my brothers have gone down in there plenty of times. You have to run if a lot of Pokemon show up, but it's not that bad."

"We aren't supposed to run as explorers," Trey pointed out. He wore his Detect Band as a headband, claiming it was what a ninja would do.

"I guess," she said, thinking.

"Newbie dungeon for newbie explorers," Kip said, then laughed sarcastically. "I've been in much much nastier places than Beach Cave." He spoke the name with heavy disdain.

"We have to start somewhere. Right Sally?"

The human had been gazing off to where the sea met the horizon. But on hearing her name, she looked down and nodded. Then she looked back out to sea with a puzzled expression.

"Do you remember anything?" Trey asked.

Sally put her paw to her chin. While she had been walking slowly to stay with them, she went ahead to the water's edge and knelt down. She scooped up some of the seawater and looked into it. But then she sighed and got back up, shaking her paws to dry them.

"We could send her in alone," Kip noted. "She could probably finish the dungeon in a third of the time with her great big steps."

"No, we're a team," Stacy said. "We have to stick together."

A cackling laughter came from behind. Before they could react, a Zubat came rushing at them, crashing into Stacy. Squealing, she was knocked down. A small circular stone was knocked out of some hiding place in her shell. "Whoops, heh heh, sorry," the Zubat said, snatching the stone up.

Stacy's head was in her shell, along with her limbs. "Oh, um," a muted voice came.

"Hey!" Kip tried to dart forward and smack the Zubat, but it flew off. "You doofus, that was the dumbest trick in the book!"

"Give that stone back," Trey said.

The Zubat flew off, meeting up with a Koffing and a Ghastly. "Hah, losers. Can't even keep yourselves from getting fleeced." The Zubat added a hiss at them as an insult.

The Ghastly snickered while the other sneered. "They must be weaklings," the Koffing added. "Come on, let's scram." They rushed off into a cave entrance.

"What happened… my lucky charm!" Stacy came out of her shell, looking panicky. "I lost my little treasure!"

"Cause of some bum dumb jerk-offs," Kip said.

"Come on, they went into Beach Cave," Trey said. "We'll catch up to them in there."

The group raced to the Mystery Dungeon. Sally got there first but she paused, looking inside warily. As the entrance, it seemed little more than a large cavern with a tunnel heading further in. But the wild magic could be felt even before entering the maze.

"It's an easy dungeon," Trey reassured her. "And it ends in a dead end, so they won't be able to get away. Come on!"

Beach Cave was a damp area, something a Water type like Stacy felt at home in. Water trickled along the floor, dripped from the ceiling, and gathered into little pools. Some areas were dim, while others were lit by holes in the rocks above. Occasionally, they heard echoes of laughter from the three crooks ahead. When Trey put his finger to his lips, they all agreed. It would be better to go quietly and not alert the crooks.

Five times, they encountered a stone stairway with trickling water, which led to lower levels that went deeper into the cave. It was a rule about the structure of dungeons that they had learned. An explorer could only go so far in a level before he or she wasn't making any more progress forward. At that point, one needed to find a passage point, like these stairs. It had something to do with the wild magic that formed these places.

At the bottom of the fifth stairway, they found a cavernous beach area. Soft white sand covered the floor, while sea tides came back and forth in a soothing rhythm. The cave extended several yards into the sea. A hole at the end let light through, but rocks at the bottom of that exit kept the tides calm and smooth. By the edge of the tides, Zubat, Koffing, and Ghastly hovered, discussing the round stone charm. "What's it worth, you think?" Zubat asked.

"Eeeehehehehehe," Ghastly cackled.

"Your opinion only counts if it makes sense," Koffing taunted.

The Ghost Pokemon hissed back.

"Stop squabbling," Zubat said. "We should sell it; we'd get the better deal that way."

"No you won't, ya dumb bums!" Kip shouted.

"You're going to give that back to Stacy," Trey added.

The three crooks glanced at each other, then laughed. "Hoo-hoo!" Koffing said. "The weaklings think they can intimidate us."

"We do outnumber you," Trey said.

"Doesn't matter when we have the power!" Zubat taunted. "I mean seriously, you might have a really tall friend, but she looks weak and probably can't do…"

Sally stepped over by Zubat and punched him right in the face. She had a fluid and graceful movement, like the masters of the Fighting Pokemon and it seemed that she had power too. Zubat was knocked out of the air, cursing.

Everyone else joined in on the fight after that. Kip darted in and took the stone charm away from Zubat while giving him a nasty claw scratch. Behind him, Stacy shot a Water Gun attack at Koffing, who retaliated by emitting a strange gray-violet cloud. Sally started gasping immediately and stumbled back in pain. Ghastly emitted a scratchy screech, causing the group of recruits to grimace. Towards the edge of the battle, Trey was caught in a problem of not wanting to get too close to the Poison Pokemon, but knowing only a few close-range and no ranged attacks. He settled on throwing a Geo Pebble at the Ghastly.

In short order, the four recruits had defeated the two thugs. Sally was still gasping Koffing's attack. She fiddled with the device around her neck, putting it over her nose and mouth. Then she sat on the sand and closed her eyes. The other three were a little scratched up, but not as badly as Koffing, Ghastly, and Zubat.

"Aw darn," Zubat grumbled, accompanied by an eerie wail from Ghastly.

"You only won cause there's so many of you," Koffing sneered. "Fine, take the stupid thing. It's probably worth nothing. Come on, guys, let's skedaddle." The three of them rushed back for the stair passage.

Stacy accepted the stone charm from Kip. "Oh, thank goodness. And thanks, guys. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost it completely."

"What is it?" Trey asked.

She showed it to them. "I don't know, but it's my little treasure. I found it one day while I was on a walk. I'm not sure exactly what happened... but I want to know what it means. See the symbol on it?"

They each looked at the odd symbol engraved on the stone circle. "It's like some wheel with wings," Trey said. "Or windy mountains. I don't know what it means."

"Looks like nothing I've seen," Kip added. "And I've seen lots of treasures."

Stacy turned to Sally. "Are you okay? You sound like your breath has calmed down."

She opened her eyes, then moved her hand so they could see her smile. Then she pointed to the stone and indicated that she'd like to see it too.

"Good, I was worried." She came over and showed the stone to her. "Maybe you've seen it where you humans come from and it'll help your memory."

Sally touched the stone to adjust how she saw it. For a moment, she seemed to be examining it deeply. Then she lowered her head and shook it. She didn't know what it was.

The guys came over as well. "What about this cove?" Trey asked. "Does any of it look familiar?"

She looked around, then waved her hand about.

"What?" Kip asked. "You want to spin around?"

Sally shook her head, then thought for a bit. Then she wrote in the sand, 'time'.

"Oh, give you some time to think?" Stacy asked.

The human nodded, so the Pokemon decided to enjoy the hidden beach while their teammate got up and looked around. At the end of it, though, she seemed to have not figured out anything.

When the recruit team came back to the beach leading to town, they came upon a marvelous sight. The sun was setting in an orange glory, turning the sky around it pink and purple with silver clouds. The ocean was calm, displaying a golden path to the sun that rippled gently. Below their paws, the sand sparkled in reflection. Above the beach and some distance away, the jagged outline of Sharpedo Bluff was taking on a warm glow. And in the air, hundreds of glistening bubbles filled the air. They were fragile treasures that drifted in the warm breeze but collapsed into tiny water droplets when touched. From far away in the sky, the sun touched the bubbles and magnified their beauty by giving them gold, silver, and rainbow highlights.

Kip tried to sniff one of the bubbles, but it popped on his small pink nose. "Holy frijoles, this is just about the dandiest sunset I've ever seen."

"You've never seen this before?" Trey asked.

Stacy's eyes sparkled with wonder. "On nice evenings, the Krabby clan come out here to blow bubbles at sunset. I never get tired of seeing this; it's wonderful."

"Yeah, it's always beautiful," the Treecko said, watching the bubbles as well.

Sally sat down in the sand facing the sunset, but when she looked at her teammates, she seemed puzzled.

"I know what's bugging you," Kip said. "I mean, when the hell did it become evening? We got up, were sent straight to this dungeon, didn't spend all that long in there, and all of a sudden, it's evening?"

The human nodded.

The Skitty twitched his ears. "I dunno what to say. Time slips happen, but they only bug me when I notice."

"It's because time is breaking down," Stacy said.

Kip looked at her. "Are you kidding me? How can something so basic as time break down?"

"I don't really understand it, but that's what people say." She fiddled with her Bow. "The breakdown of time is why there's so many bad Pokemon these days and why nobody can evolve anymore. And why there's so many Mystery Dungeons showing up. That's what they say."

"No one knows why time is breaking down," Trey said. "But no one can deny that something is up. The old Pokemon say that things are different now, even though we've lived with this all our lives." He shrugged. "Me and Stacy, anyhow. How old are you two?"

"None of your beeswax," Kip said snippily.

Sally started to sign, paused, then wrote in the sand. "19"

"Days?" Kip teased. When she shook her head, he asked, "Weeks, months?" She denied both of those. "Centuries?"

Sally laughed. It was an odd hoarse sound.

"It's probably years," Trey said.

She nodded to that.

"Wise guy," Kip muttered. "Okay, since you're such a smartie, what's going on with time breaking down?"

"I already told you, no one knows why. But I can tell you about the effects." The Treecko paused, rubbing his chin. Then he looked out to the setting sun. "It's like today; we shouldn't have spent all day in a small dungeon like that."

"Tiny cakewalk dungeon," the Skitty said snobbily.

Trey pointed west. "But it seems that we did, somehow. More time passed than should have. But then there come some moments when time doesn't seem to pass at all, when everything comes to a standstill. I mean, you can still move about and stuff, but it feels like the world has slowed down around you. You think it should be noon and feel like you've been working all day, but it's still early morning."

"My brothers say that happens whenever they have to do chores," Stacy said with a fond smile.

"Like the other day when we had to make files," Kip said, shaking his head. "That afternoon dragged on for-ev-er."

"Sometimes it's just because you're doing something you don't like," Trey pointed out. "But other times, it's because time isn't working right. And then there's the bigger effects, which nobody noticed until a famous writer saw that something wasn't right with her journal entries."

"There's bigger effects of time breaking down?" Stacy asked.

He nodded. "The cycles of Nature are running amok."

"Amok, amok, amok," Kip said in a silly tone, prancing around in the sand.

Trey ignored him. "The moon doesn't follow consistent phases anymore. One night, it will be a new moon, the next night, a full moon, then a crescent, then full again. And the seasons don't always come in order. This changes from place to place. Some places get locked into winter, while others get locked into summer. In other places, you'll have an autumn windstorm followed a few days later by a spring shower. And no one seems to be certain of dates any further than a month ahead, sometimes not even a week."

"I haven't noticed that," Stacy said. "But then why wouldn't I? You think you'd notice if it suddenly went from winter to summer."

"It doesn't happen suddenly; it happens over the course of several days. Like when we went to the Dojo, the trees were showing that it was autumn, but today, I saw some spring daffodils blossoming on our way here. Some people think that it's because the shifting seasons are so illogical to us that we really don't notice it. Like we try to ignore the strangeness that the decline of time is causing. The best explorer teams are said to be investigating this matter."

"Eh, so us bunch of newbies probably won't get involved," Kip said. "Well good. I wouldn't want to mess with something as potent and intangible as time."

Sally seemed thoughtful, but also puzzled as she tried to figure out the concept of time breaking down. Then she looked out and pointed. The sun was still hovering over the horizon, orange and glorious, while the Krabbies still blew their bubbles. The tide was regular; at least, they felt that it was regular while it seemed to crawl back and forth at the edge of the beach. Behind them, the trees seemed to have stilled despite the warm breeze moving by them.

"Yeah, this is one of those moments where time has slowed," Stacy said. "The sun should be gone by now."

"We Pokemon know how time should flow," Trey thought aloud. "And yet, sometimes we miss this uncertainty."

"Whatever," Kip said, breaking the mood. "If it's going slow, good for us. We'd better get back to the guild before my parole officer blows a gasket because I didn't get in before dark."

"We should, also to make a report before dinner time," Stacy said. "Let's go."


	4. Fun with Civilians

"IT'S MORNING! RISE AND SHINE!"

"I hate you."

"WELL I HATE YOU TOO!"

The recruit team went through the usual daily meeting. Charlie came over to them afterward. "We have to review your performance over the past two weeks today, so you get the day off! Enjoy it, because this sort of thing doesn't happen often to guild apprentices."

"Really?" Stacy asked. "Great!"

"There's only a few days off?" Kip complained. "Ah rock smash."

"You'll appreciate them more if you don't have too many," the Chatot said smugly. "You can explore town, train in the Dojo, or visit family if they're close by. Be back in by evening or you won't get dinner, though. Oh, except you Kip. You need to go down to the Sheriff's office for a review. If you get out of that early enough and if they approve, you'll get the rest of the day off."

"Figures," the Skitty said, and headed up the stairs for his appointment.

"Oh, hey! One last thing; you'll be needing to think of what to name your team. That is, if you make it."

"Whatever," Kip said and was gone.

"I'm going to visit my brothers," Stacy said. "What about you two?"

"I dunno," Trey said. "Sally, do you want me to show you around town?"

She smiled and nodded, then made a sign.

"I wish I knew what you were saying with your paws, though," the Treecko noted.

"She says 'thank you' when she does that sign," Bartleby said.

"Where did you learn her language?" Trey asked.

"Mmm…" he crossed his arms and looked amusingly serious. "In a book somewhere. Maybe I'll try to find it again."

"Good; I wouldn't mind learning it." He looked down at his three-fingered paws. "I hope I don't need five fingers, though."

Sally laughed, then picked Trey up and put him on her shoulder to climb up the ladders and leave the Guild for the day.

"Have a great day!" Bartleby called.

Holding onto Sally's white hair, Trey could look over Treasure Town as it must have looked to Sally and tall Pokemon. "This is so cool," he whispered. He caught a flash of a reflection in Sally's ear. Looking, he saw an odd device of a tan material. "What's this?"

She turned her head lightly, so that she didn't throw him off. Then she tapped at her ear.

"Oh, is this thing how you hear?"

She gave a slight nod.

"How's it do that? It doesn't look like much."

She shrugged. Maybe it was a complex device and she just knew that it worked.

"Okay, I was just curious. Well this is the main road of Treasure Town. Down south there is Marowak's Dojo, the hospital, and Chansey's Daycare. We've been in the dojo a lot. I guess you would know the hospital too."

Sally nodded and looked a bit lost in thought.

"The Daycare is that pink building. Cece the Chansey takes care of eggs and orphans. People say she's sweet, but I think she's overbearing and oversweet."

She raised her eyebrows and smiled cheekily.

"Look, I know her personally and well… let's just say that I'd rather not go visit on my day off. Now over here on the other side of the road are some manufacturing places, some homes, and Duskull's Bank. That one is the black building with the spooky mask and eye. We can stop by later to set up an account for you and put away your money. Trust me, you'll need it."

He glanced back at her and saw that she seemed to be silently questioning him.

"Well wild magic can do some nasty things if you collapse inside a dungeon. Gremlins will come and steal the money you're carrying. And they can steal your treasures too, and hide them in the dungeons where just anybody can pick them up and you have no chance of claiming it as your own. I read once that an explorer tried to keep an item by writing his name on an accessory. He lost it on one exploration. The closest thing that anyone could find of it was an identical item that said 'Fool' right where he had put his name."

She nodded to that. It would be a nasty thing to lose so much just because you lost a battle.

"Over that way… more homes. Oh, and down the road to the north there, you'll find the library. That's my favorite place in town. An Alakazam called Kazza runs it and he lets anybody borrow books from his collection. But don't try to steal any from him. He'll know and appear right next to you to take his book back. Same thing with the Duskulls at the bank. Try to steal any money from there and you'll seriously regret it later on."

"Hey Trey!"

Sally stopped by a Mareep that was sitting by the side of the road. Trey waved down to her. "Hey Mary!"

"What're you doing way up there?" She tilted her head and made her tail ball turn orange.

Sally knelt down, so Trey jumped down next to Mary. "This is my new friend from the guild, Sally. Sally, this is Mary, an old friend of mine."

"Oh, hi Sally!" Mary jumped up.

Sally smiled and patted her on the head.

"Wait, so you made it into the guild?" Mary asked. "How'd you manage that?"

"Cause I'm awesome," Trey said proudly.

"No you're not. You're a nerdy bookworm who gotten to be really boring after our Rite."

He clenched his paws and flicked his leafy tail. "Well I'm an explorer now too. At least, I'm going to be an apprentice. It'll be official this evening."

"Oh, I bet you haven't even passed the recruitment stage. And you won't." She stuck her tongue out.

"Hey! We've been working hard at this and I've studied a lot. Right Sally?"

She nodded.

"So what, is he still a nerd? Well I won't believe you're an explorer until you have a badge, so niii." Mary hopped off down the road.

Trey scratched his nose. "That's why she's an old friend, you know. She used to be nice, but got really stuck up after we took the Rite of Passage to become adults. And immature." He shot the Mareep a glare, but she didn't see it.

Sally gave him a sympathetic look and a pat on the head.

"it's nothing. Anyhow, shall we go on? There's more town to see."

Sally nodded and let him get back on her shoulder. They crossed a wooden bridge over a creek to get to the other side of town.

"Oh, and that big yellow building we stopped by? That's Electrivire's Shop. It's kind of an odd place; I've never been in there." He looked around. "Lots of folks live here because it's safe. The wild magic stays away because so many Pokemon live here. Now if you take the side roads around here, you'll find all sorts of specialist shops. Accessory makers, bakers, furniture sellers, all kinds of stuff. But the best shop is right there, Kecleon's. The whole Kecleon race makes a living off running shops. They even sell stuff in dungeons! But I hear that the hardest to reach dungeon shops have the best and rarest treasures that you can't find anywhere else. Even human stuff like your hearing thingy here.

"I haven't seen one of those shops with my own eyes, obviously, but the brothers who work in this shop are great. Now down south there, past all the totems, you'll find the elder's house. But I don't think he's in town very often. He's really old. And over that way is Xatu's Appraisal shop."

She gave him another questioning look.

"I've only read about this, but apparently you can find mysterious boxes that seem like they can't be opened. The Xatu clan can open them. And I'll say, that's the way to really make money; learn something that nobody else around you can do. I've heard other explorers say that they've tried and tried to open those dang boxes, but they can't manage it. His service is kind of pricey, though."

At that point, Trey patted her cheek and pointed ahead.

"Before we do anything else, though, we should introduce you to the local Kangaskan. She runs the Storage Place. If you've got something valuable that you don't want thieves and gremlins to steal, you should leave it with a Kangaskan. I've read that you can even find statues of Kangaskans that can access your storage and let you take and leave stuff." He shrugged. "I have no clue how they can do that. Maybe the Kangaskans are a secretly magical race?"

The Kangaskan in question was taller and broader than Sally. She winked at Trey. "Oh, now you've got yourself a nice perch today, Trey. Whose your friend?"

He waved at her. "Hi Casey. This is Casey, as I was saying. This is Sally, my teammate in the Guild."

"Well hello then, Sally." She offered and they shook paws. "So you've both survived this far? I wish you luck for your final review."

"Thanks. We want to get a storage account for her, but she doesn't speak, so I'll have to speak for her."

"Oh she doesn't? How sad. All right then, so your name is Sally…" Casey observed her for a bit. "What exactly are you, dear?"

"She's a human, which isn't even a Pokemon," Trey stated.

"How curious. Well I don't judge people based on what they are, so we'll go ahead an open an account for you. Let's see…" she fiddling with something under the counter. Trey could never see it before, but from Sally's shoulder, he could see that it was some kind of glowing glass. "All right, we need something for you to store. There should always be something in your storage account, so that the magic doesn't shut it down."

Sally put her hand to her chin, thinking. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a white and pink seashell that she had found in Beach Cave. She put that on the counter.

"That should do just fine." Casey took the shell and placed it on the glowing glass. It vanished. "Okay, you have one Small Shell stored on your account. Come by anytime you need anything stored and I'll be sure to take good care of it."

She smiled and did the 'thank you' sign.

"Let's go check out the Kecleon shop next," Trey suggested.

Like most every building around it, the Kecleon shop was a large dome decorated with a motif of the Pokemon who worked in or near it. In front of the building was a counter, with stairs so that smaller Pokemon like Trey could look over the counter. Two reptilian Pokemon half Sally's size stood behind the counter, one green with red stripes and one blue with pink-purple stripes.

"Ah, hello Trey," the green one said cheerfully. "Is this the human we've been hearing about?"

He nodded. "Yes, this is Sally. Sally, this is Keaton and Richard."

She nodded too and dropped down to her knees so she could look the shopkeepers in the eyes.

Trey got on one of the stairs. "We're being reviewed to join the Guild, so I've been showing her around."

"Well best of luck to you," Keaton, the green one, said.

"Explorers always do good business with us," Richard, the blue one, added.

"So have you got any shopping needs in mind for today?"

"Maybe," Trey said. "What've you got on special?"

"We've got a nice crop of Sleep Seeds in today," Keaton pitched. "Very nice items to have for dungeon crawling. Throw it at a wild Pokemon with sufficient force and it will put them right to sleep! Then you can easily sneak by them."

"I also have a good number of Sandy Orbs," Richard suggested. "Make a wish, break the orb at your feet, and boom, instant sandstorm!"

"I dunno about that one," Trey said. "Sandstorms are pretty nasty."

"Maybe for you, but for other Pokemon, sandstorms make for valuable cover."

"I'll have to remember that," Trey said to himself.

In the meantime, Sally had found a basket of Unown charms. She picked out certain letters and placed them on the table. "You like those?" Keaton asked. "They're cheap: 10 letters for 1 Poke."

She shook her head, then tapped at the word she had spelled. 'thread'

"Sally can't speak," Trey said. "So I guess she's asking for thread."

"You mean like Slow Thread?" Keaton asked her. "We don't get that in very often, but we might be able to get some in next week."

Sally shook her head, then tugged at her yellow top.

"I think she means sewing thread for accessories, brother," Richard pointed out.

She nodded.

"Oh. We don't carry that, but if you head back behind us, there's a Buneary who sells that kind of thing. She's a good salesperson; we can vouch for her fairness."

She smiled and thanked them, then turned back to the charm basket to search out more letters for her next question.

"Hi Trey!" a voice called out.

He leaned back from the counter and saw Stacy come up with a Marill and Azurill. "Hi Stacy! Are these your brothers?"

She came up to the stall and nodded. "Yup, this is Matti and that's Azeri. These are my teammates, Trey and Sally."

Matti the Marill bowed politely. "Oh, hello. Good to meet you. Stacy's been telling us about you."

Azeri the Azurill hopped on his tail ball and smiled sweetly. "Hi! Wow, she really is big! Almost as big as Ms Casey!"

The human paused in her search to chuckle and wave to the two Pokemon kids. Then she went searching for another 'M'.

"So you're all together on one team, huh?" Richard asked in a friendly tone. "That's wonderful. You two at least should work together well."

"How's your mother doing?" Keaton added.

"The doctor says she's over the worst of it, but it's going to take a lot of time before she fully recovers," Stacy said.

"We're glad she's okay," Matti said.

"We're gonna make her laugh and get better quick like," Azeri stated, hopping a little extra high.

"I'm sure you will," Keaton said warmly. "Have you come to take care of your groceries?"

"Yes please," Matti said, handing over a list.

"I'll get right on it," Richard said, taking it and going into the storage room with a basket that most any Pokemon could easily hold.

Sally clapped, then tapped the counter. She had now spelled 'marmalade'.

Stacy leaned over the counter to see. "Marmalade? What's that?"

"It's a kind of jelly made with certain berries," Trey explained.

"Hmm," Keaton nodded. "Actually, we do have some of that in stock, in Oran and Nomel. Sometimes we get Sitrus marmalade in too. Do you want the Oran?"

Sally nodded.

"I see you have cultured tastes. Do you have it with crackers? I could get you some of those too."

She agreed to that and it only took a bit of time before Keaton was back with a jar of Oran Marmalade and a box of wheat crackers. Sally looked quite pleased, but she also pulled out the glasses she had gotten on the first day and put them on the counter.

"Those are…" the Kecleon picked them up and examined them. "Lock-on Specs, for smaller Pokemon. So you're selling this? All right, then it's 350 Poke you get for the specs and… the marmalade and crackers aren't much, just 15 Poke. So I will give you 335 Poke in exchange." He passed over the coins to her.

She took the money, signed her thanks and bowed, then picked up the jar and box. She stuck the box immediately in her bag, but kept the marmalade out. For a moment, she stared at the jar oddly.

Richard came out with a full basket. "Okay, here's everything you asked for. That's 75 Poke for the lot."

"All right," Stacy said, handing over the money. She let Matti take the basket. "So what are you two going to do?"

"We need to stop by the bank," Trey said. "I was thinking the library after that. Are you okay with that, Sally?"

She was still staring into the marmalade jar.

Trey felt a little embarrassed; it seemed Stacy felt the same. "Sally?"

Abruptly, she turned away. She nodded, but seemed disappointed in something.

"I guess we'll meet you in the library later," Stacy said. "Come on boys, lets get this home and ask Mom if she wants any books."

"Okay!" Azeri said. "Bye, Stacy's friends! Bye Kecleons!"

Trey smiled. "Bye guys, see you in a bit."

"Goodbye!" the two shopkeepers called after the group. "Those three are such sweet kids," Richard said as Trey and Sally walked off.

"Is something wrong with your marmalade?" Trey asked, touching Sally's ankle.

She shook her head, but the look on her face said that whatever she was thinking was rather complicated. Then she paused, then pointed north of the shop.

"Oh right, you were looking for thread too. Okay, we can find the Buneary's shop. I think I've seen it, but not checked it out."

As they were walking back by the Kecleon shop, Azeri suddenly came bounding back, holding onto a pretty red apple that was almost the size of his little body. "Hey, Mr Kecleons, you gave us an extra apple. Here." He put the apple on the counter.

Richard shook his head. "It's no trouble, little Azeri. Consider it a gift from us."

"Really?' he asked, disbelieving.

"Really, of course," Keaton said. "You three are good kids; you ought to get a break every now and then."

Azeri got a big grin on his face. "Gee, thanks! I'll tell Stacy and Matti how nice you were." He took the apple again and hopped away as quickly as he came. However, he tripped himself up and fell onto the dirt path, dropping his apple. It rolled away and fell into the creek.

Trey ran over to him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Owie," Azeri said, picking himself back up. He rubbed his face. "Do I got any scratches?"

The Treecko brushed off a bit more dirt. "No, you look okay."

"Oh good. But my apple…"

That was already solved, though. The creek was shallow to Sally; she simply reached down and picked the apple up. After giving it a quick rinse off, she looked into it to see if the skin was broken. Then she came over, crouched down, and handed it back.

"Oh, thank you! It still looks good. I'm usually not so clumsy."

"You were going a little fast there," Trey said kindly.

"Azeri!" Stacy's voice came from the other side of the creek.

"Coming! Bye again!" The Azurill hopped off after his siblings.

"I kind of knew of the three of them," Trey mused. "Stacy became an adult with Mary and I. But I didn't really know them. So we should find that thread shop, Sa… Sally?"

For no apparent reason, Sally was cringing, holding her head with one hand. It seemed like she had some bad headache. But in the moment it took him to come up and touch her hand, it had passed. The human glanced around with a confused look in her blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked, again.

She rubbed her head, then glanced around one more time. Finally, she nodded and put him back up on her shoulder.

"We can go rest if you're tired or something," he added.

She shook her head and pointed north.

"Right, we were going to the thread place. Well give me a sign if your headache comes back."

She smiled a tiny bit, then took the path towards the other shops. After a few minutes, they found a Buneary-eared building. That Pokemon was at the counter, picking through a basket of needles. She looked up when they stopped, pulling the brim of her floppy straw hat up so she could see better. "Oh, hello! Welcome to the Crafts Stores; I'm Bethany. How may I help you?"

"Hi," Trey said. "I'm helping my friend shop for stuff. She needs some thread for sewing."

At Sally's nod, Bethany asked, "Okay, what color are you looking for?"

"Um, do you have a chart? She can't speak."

"I do, hang on." She knelt down and found a piece of paper with a color wheel. "Where's your range?"

Sally pointed to yellow-orange, closer to the orange.

"Okay, let me find that rack." She went into the room, then came back with a wooden storage bin. "Which one would you like? The Pecha? Okay, that's 2 Poke for the spool. Do you need some needles?"

She shook her head and tapped the spool. That was all she needed. She then passed over the 2 Poke coins.

"All right then. I hope you come back for any craft supply you need. We have a sewing circle that meets in the library some evenings, so you're welcome to drop in and join any time."

Sally smiled, but Trey could tell that whatever had happened minutes ago was still bothering her. She made a sign, so he had to say, "She thanks you."

After that, they crossed the bridge again and went to open a bank account for Sally. The Duskull who took care of that didn't give a name, but had a scratchy kind of laugh. "Drop by whenever you need to drop off more coins, heh heh."

As they left, Trey commented, "The Duskulls are so weird. But they are reliable and they don't cheat anybody. Most Pokemon around Treasure Town are friendly and nice, you know, mostly."

They finally got around to the library. It was a cozy place that Trey loved, his favorite place in town. And Kazza the Alakazam had a massive collection of books and records. It was said that he had read every single one of them and knew every little detail within the pages. As much as he read, Trey didn't think he could ever match that intellect.

So after introducing Sally, Trey asked, "Kazza, do you know of a book that talks about the human's language with their paws?"

"Hands, Trey, humans have hands." He twirled both spoons. "A book about language with paws or hands…"

Hopeful, Sally made a series of signs.

"Ah, you're deaf and you use sign language and a hearing aid to communicate. I remember reading the book, yes. But it's not part of my collection. Bartleby the Wigglytuff has it."

"Oh, he does? He said he was going to look for it this morning."

"I've tried to buy it and a few others off him, but he won't accept my offers. I have so very few human made books around. Of course, many Pokemon find them too bulky or big to handle well."

"Well I don't care how big it is," Trey said. "I've read books that weigh twice what I do."

He chuckled. "Yes, you have. You're welcome to borrow any books you like, Sally. I can point you out a few on our lands and culture so that you're better acquainted with Pokemon life."

After finding a few books, the pair sat down to read at one of the tables. But Sally seemed distracted. She kept glancing at the door.

"I'm not sure where they live, but I think it's just outside of town," Trey told her. "They could be a bit."

Sally shook her head. After tapping her fingers against the table, she leaned over towards him. She then gently put her fingers above his eyes and covered them.

"What are you…" but then his mind sensed that something was off.

Rocky place up high… there was a voice of a small Pokemon… very definitely Azeri the Azurill's voice. "H-h-help!"

"There's no one else around, but keep quiet," a different and unknown voice said. "Now you'll do as I say, or else."

"B-b-but…" Azeri said, frightened.

"Do it."

As Trey tensed, Sally took her fingers off his eyes. "Wh-what was that? Did you hear that scream?"

She held a finger up, then tapped her head, then tapped his.

"Um… you put that voice in my head?"

She nodded, then pointed to her forehead.

"You heard it first? Back when you had that headache, you mean?"

Another nod.

"That's really weird. It felt like some kind of bad dream, but then it also felt really real. But that was just something… you think they could be in trouble?"

Sally shrugged, looking both puzzled and worried.

Then the doors to the library opened. Stacy, Matti, and Azeri all came in, looking just fine. "Good afternoon, Kazza," Stacy called out, as cheerful as ever.

"Maybe it was just some weird bad dream you had," Trey told her quietly. "But why'd you get it in the middle of the day?"

She shrugged. She didn't seem to know much, but she knew what she had experienced. However, she put her worries aside as the three Water siblings came over to join them.

Kip sat in the empty and dim room, with walls made of dark stones. Mika, his parole Magnemite, hovered in front of him. "Reports have said that you are occasionally fowl mouthed and rude, as well as strange and suspicious-looking."

"Whaddaya expect when I'm surrounded by morons?" the Skitty retorted.

"Don't give me your smart-alec attitude."

"Don't take it if you don't want it."

Mika narrowed her eye at him. "Do you want to be taken off public service and put into prison?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not sparky."

"Well keep that tongue of yours in check."

"Can't keep it too in check or I can't groom my fur."

"What happened to your desire to find the light in your darkness?"

"Hey, it's still there 'mon." He picked his paw up and examined it a moment. "I just don't give a Rattata's patootie what the rest of you think of me."

"You need to curb your darkness behaviors, or you'll slip right back into being a criminal again. And you should start your change with learning better politeness."

"I could give it a try," he said half-heartedly. It didn't seem worth the effort or care, though.

"Well if you don't get accepted into the Guild, you aren't getting another chance at living outside the prison, Skitty. Your progress has not been satisfactory."

"You just expect too much of me, sparky."

Sally and Trey found Chiaka the Chimecho in the basement cold storage. "Oh, hi there," she said with a clear ring. "What do you need?"

"I know we're not official yet, but can Sally store her marmalade down here?" Trey asked. "It's got to stay cold, apparently."

"Oh sure. We keep a space for every team to keep stuff on hand if needed. I'll take it back to an empty spot." She took the jar by telekinesis, then asked, "What was it again?'

"Marmalade; it says so on the jar. And thanks."

"No problem."

After dinner, everyone gathered in the main space of the third floor. Bartleby gave a paper to Charlie, who spoke up. "Okay, for our new recruits… you have done very well in training, working hard and learning quickly. So, all four of you have been accepted!"

Stacy cheered loudly.

"Thank you, sweet mother of Mewtwo," Kip mumbled to himself.

"Congratulations," Bobby said with a smile

"Were you going to stick together as a team?" Charlie asked.

Sally clapped her hands; she was all for it. Stacy and Trey looked at each other, then at Kip. "Well?" Trey asked quietly.

"He hasn't been too bad," Stacy whispered back. "Did you want to stay with us?"

Kip looked startled that they would ask. "Oh um… sure, if it's cool with you, it's cool with me."

"Okay, then the four of us will work as a team," Stacy said.

"Great!" Bartleby said. "And Stacy will be the leader!"

Her eyes widened and she put her paws together nervously. "What? I will?"

The Guildmaster smiled and nodded.

"I think you'll do well," Trey said. Sally nodded.

"She certainly should," Charlie said. "Okay, and now you need a name."

"Um, we hadn't really decided yet," Stacy said shyly. She wondered if it was all right to use Tidal now, or if that would be bad. Back at the library, she, Trey, and Sally had discussed and written up possible names, but hadn't agreed on any one as good for their group (with or without Kip).

"I thought you had," Bartleby said.

"Huh?"

"It says down in storage, Team Marmalade!"

"What?" Stacy asked, even more bewildered.

Chiaka blushed. "Oh my, I'm sorry," she said. "I got distracted when I was putting your jar of marmalade on the shelf and put it in your name slot, not the inventory slot."

"Eek!" Flora squealed. "How can you make a silly mistake like that?"

"Well it just happened," Chiaka mumbled.

Kip laughed heartily. "No, it's perfect! Cause we're three parts sweet and one part zesty!"

"Huh…" Trey wondered, then realized the Skitty meant, "Hey!"

He twitched his tail smugly. "At least you know you ain't one of the sweet ones."

"Okay, so it is Team Marmalade!" Bartleby said, in good cheer.

"They haven't really confirmed it," Charlie tried to tell him.

"Um, no, I think it'll do for now," Stacy said. "I've never had marmalade before, though," she whispered to the other three.

"It's good stuff," Kip whispered back.

"So here is your first official badge!" Bartleby said, handing over a shiny copper badge to Stacy. It had what appeared to be a Wigglytuff peering over a ledge, as the symbol of the Guild. "We'll get that one engraved with the team name after the other three are made."

"Okay, if that's the name you want," Charlie said. "Oh yes, and I think the Guildmaster has found something for you."

"Something?" Stacy asked.

"Oh, right! I found the book. Follow me!" He hopped away and down the ladder to the storage area. The whole time, he kept a bright beautiful Perfect Apple bouncing atop his head.

"Do ya think he's part Spoink?" Kip whispered to Trey, getting a chuckle.

"YOOM-TAH! Here you go." He patted a book that was lying on the floor.

"What the freak?" Kip asked. "That thing's huge for a book."

The book was twenty inches by twenty-inches, being almost two inches thick on its white cover was a picture of a human paw making some sign, along with a large print title of 'University Standard Sign Language- an instruction manual by Dr. Isabel Dunkin.' "It's that big because it's a human book," Trey said. "She could probably read it all right."

Sally nodded.

"I don't think it has the full language in it," Bartleby said. "There's a lot of words that have no signs in here. But it does have an alphabet of hand signs, so she could spell out anything you don't get."

"I dunno, that seems a little intimidating," Stacy said, putting her paw to her chestshell.

"I'll study it," Trey said. "I've read human books before, so I don't mind handling it."

"Okay!" Bartleby agreed, twitching his ears. "Now it must remain down here. You may leave it out in this room while you learn it, though."


	5. Pearls of Wisdom, Maybe

"GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!"

"I hate you."

"AND GOOD MORNING TO YOU TOO!"

After the daily meeting, Charlie spoke to them. "Okay, Team Marmalade… today, I'll take you over to the Job Board and find you something to start with. Most days, you're allowed to do whatever kind of job you like so long as you pick a board job once a week. Come with me." He flew up to the second floor.

"So if time is messing up," Kip mused, "how does he know if we've done something once a week?"

"Somehow, I think Charlie would know," Trey answered.

They got another droning explanation from Chatot. Stacy wondered how a musical bird could be so boring. He explained how jobs were rated, that they should take the low rated jobs as they were just starting out. After they looked over the board (and there were some interesting ones too; sadly, rated B or A), Charlie pulled off one paper. "Here you go. This one ought to be a good start."

Stacy took the paper and read over it. "'Hi. An outlaw has run off with my pearl and I'm completely lost without it. If it's not on my head, I go bouncing all over the place. It was spotted yesterday near Drenched Bluff. Would someone please be so kind as to go find it? Thanks, Spoink.'"

"Aw 'mon, is that it?" Kip asked. "We've just got to find something some doofus lost?"

"It is very important to fulfill every job," Charlie said. "Remember, don't shirk work!"

"We'll go find it," Trey said.

Drenched Bluff was much like Beach Cave, but higher in elevation and scattered with more rocks and leafy bushes. A long jagged cliff dropped off into the ocean. "Careful, everybody," Stacy advised.

Outside the entrance, Sally snapped her fingers, then opened up her Treasure Bag. She pulled out a Pecha Scarf and showed it to Kip.

"What, that thing? Hey, it looks different."

"She adjusted it so that you can wear it without dragging it along the ground," Stacy said. "She's been working on it in the evenings and mornings."

"Really? Sweet!" He let her wrap it around his neck. "Thanks. Now I look awesome."

"And you're protected from being poisoned," Trey pointed out. "That's very useful."

Aside from watching out for long drops to the ocean, Drenched Bluff wasn't that much different than Beach Cave. There were more levels to it that they had to search more thoroughly. But that meant that they found lots of useful items. Kip had to go with Sally, though, because he couldn't store any of the items that he picked up.

Finally, at the seventh level, they found a pink pearl. It lay in a stony clearing; ferns billowed out like grounded clouds and a freshwater spring bubbled out of a crack in the rocks. "This must be Spoink's pearl," Stacy said, picking it up.

Kip saw the luster the pearl had, the inner and outer beauty it had. Almost as big as Stacy's paws, the surface seemed mystical, like one could see the future or hidden truths within its pink depths. He hadn't expected it to be much, being a low-ranked job and some weak Pokemon's treasure. But this… this was fantastic.

'Take it,' a voice in his head said. 'Take it and run far far away. You like it. It should be yours. Take it and use it as a clue to find your treasure."

He hunkered down. "My treasure is the light of the darkness," he murmured.

"What was that?" Trey asked.

"Nothing!" he replied, sitting up straight. "Chasing the moonbeams, I guess. I'm not listening to nonsense."

"What nonsense are you speaking?" the Treecko asked, giving him a puzzled look.

"Huh. You've never encountered the night, have you?" He strutted off to the exit, willing himself to not look at the fabulous pink pearl.

Back at the guild, Team Marmalade met with Charlie and the Spoink. The pearl now sat on Spoink's head, although Kip still wouldn't look at it directly. "Thank you so much," Spoink said. "Without my pearl balanced on my head, I didn't know what way to go. I was bouncing all over the place without direction! But now everything will be right again."

"You're welcome," Stacy said, smiling.

"In reward, I want to give you this." Spoink handed over 2000 Poke.

"Oh wow, this much?" Stacy asked, clearly awestruck by that amount of money.

"For my pearl, it's worth it. Thanks again; I won't forget this." Spoink bounded up the ladder and was soon gone.

"Oh, but you must pay your dues as well." Charlie took the 2000 Poke, checked it, then handed over 200 Poke. "Here you go."

"What?!" Kip asked. "You get 90% cut?"

"That's the price of board, food, information, equipment, training, and so on. So yes, but you get so much more out of it. And technically, you aren't to get anything because you're under parole."

"Ah rock smash," Kip grumbled.

Dinner was taken slow that night, because Trey was working on his sign language. "A lot of it does depend on having five fingers," he said, trying to manipulate his three fingered paws. "I can't do any of it."

On the other hand, Sally could make the signs so rapidly that her fingers seemed to become a blur. Bobby the Bidoof, who sat near them, asked, "What's my name look like in your language, Sally?"

Happily, she showed him. Trey noted how she tilted her hand slightly to show that she was making two 'B's, not one.

That night, the boys settled into bed. "You know, it feels good to be appreciated," Trey said.

"90% cut, bah," Kip replied, then went to sleep.

The next morning…

"GOOOOOOD MOOOOORRRRNIIIIINNG!"

"Shaddap."

After the meeting, Charlie told them to pick a job off the Outlaw board. "I'm afraid that I've got important tasks to take care of today, so I won't be able to explain things."

"Oh how dreadful," Kip said sarcastically.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," he retorted. "Now… Bobby! Would you help Team Marmalade pick out one of the outlaws?"

"Um, golly, me?" he asked. "Um, sure. Come with me, folks."

They followed him up to the second floor and went to the second job board. There, they found a team of three Poochenyas. One of them looked at the group. "Hey, aren't you that crazy Skitty we caught a while ago?"

Kip raised his nose in the air. "Despite all your noise and crudeness, yes."

"Hey, don't insult Team Poochy," he growled.

"It is ever a shame that I got snagged by these mangy canines," he went on.

"We are perfectly healthy and strong canines, for your information," the female of the group said snobbily.

"Kip, don't you know when to stop being a pest?" Trey asked.

"I can't help myself around…" before he could say it, the Treecko covered his mouth.

"Ignore the Skitty," the other male said. "Here, let's go chase down this bad guy." They took their job paper and left.

"Try not to get us all in trouble," Stacy told Kip.

"Hmph." He started cleaning his paw, as if none of what had just happened was important.

"Um," Bobby said. "Well I hope I get everything right. I used to be the newest apprentice before you guys were chosen, so I usually don't get called on to help others out."

"You're nice," Stacy said encouragingly, "So you should do fine. Where's your team, by the way?"

"Um, well one dropped out and the other joined an older group, so I've been by myself mostly. I do have a team name, though: Team Woodchuck."

"That's very…" Trey thought, "descriptive."

"Thanks. Well, um, this is the Outlaw board. It's got the same kind of thing as the other board, where all the jobs are rated on difficulty."

"Who decides difficulty?" Trey asked.

"Um, well in this case, I think it's Sheriff Magnezone who uses the criminal records and his memory to tell us how dangerous outlaws are. Oh, right, you'd better go into town and get supplies, store your stuff, and that kind of thing. The Outlaw board tends to have tougher jobs overall compared to the Job Board."

"That sounds like a good idea," Stacy said.

"I can't go into town still, unless my sparky parole officer is along," Kip stated. "You've got all my stuff, Sally, so do whatever you feel like." He yawned, then curled down on the floor for a catnap.

When the group was done in town, they came back to the crossroads to a surprise. Stacy's brothers Matti and Azeri were by the old well with an odd Pokemon. It was bipedal, around three feet tall, with yellow skin and a short hanging snout. "I'm sure I sensed something of that nature there, so it shouldn't be hard to locate."

"Oh good," Matti said, partly relieved.

"Hey, good morning," Stacy called. "What's up?"

"Oh, good morning Stacy," Matti said.

"Hi big sis!" Azeri squealed.

"You know that Water Float we lost a few days back?" the Marill went on. "Mr. Fred the Drowzee here says that he knows where it is.'

"Oh really? That's great."

"And he's gonna take us to it, so we get to go on an adventure too!" Azeri said excitedly.

"Is it anywhere dangerous?" Stacy asked, worried.

"No, it's a tame place," Mr. Fred said kindly. "Don't worry, I wouldn't let nice kids like these two get hurt under my care."

"Oh, well, thank you very much for taking them," Stacy said, smiling. "I would, but I'm working right now."

He nodded agreeably. "It won't take very long; we'll be back by the end of the day."

"Okay, have a good adventure, boys."

As they were saying goodbye, Sally abruptly knelt down and touched Mr. Fred. The Drowzee looked up at her. "Hmm, is something wrong?"

She looked puzzled, then shrugged and backed off. But as they left, her eyes unfocused and she cringed in pain.

"Sally?" Stacy asked, concerned. "What's wrong with you? A headache?"

"I think so," Trey said. "It's happened once before."

And she looked just as disoriented as the last time. She looked at the dirt path that Mr. Fred, Matti, and Azeri had gone down.

"Do you need to rest for the day?" Stacy said, patting her knee.

Sally shook her head. She made some signs, slowly spelling something out.

Trey watched. "Same dream? Oh, you mean you had the same dream as last time?"

She nodded, then pointed down the path.

"You think Azeri's in trouble. But you saw that days ago too, so it was probably just some bad dream."

"What about my brother?" Stacy asked.

Trey rubbed his nose. "Well last time she had that headache, she had this weird dream thing of Azeri in trouble somewhere. She was able to show it to me somehow. But it was just a dream."

"That's weird. Besides, Mr. Fred was a nice Pokemon. It's good to know, with all the outlaw Pokemon popping up, that there's still nice Pokemon like him around. And we've got to get back and do our job."

Sally still looked skeptical, but went back with them. Kip stretched himself out when they approached. "Okay, down to business. I hope it's nobody I know."

"I hope it's not a really scary outlaw," Stacy said, a little scared.

Bobby the Bidoof nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But it's okay. There's lots of different outlaw Pokemon. Some just steal little things or break stuff, but then sometimes a post comes up of a really nasty character. But if you go for the lower ranked Outlaws, they won't be the really bad ones."

"I must have been at least one star," Kip said smugly.

"I don't think that's something to be proud of," Trey countered.

Bobby shuddered. "Ooo, I wouldn't ever do a star-ranked job. Leave those for the professionals. Now… I've been thinking…"

All of a sudden, an alarm rang out. "Board updating!" a loud voice said, right before the Outlaw Board banged, spun around, and turned up blank. "Please be patient!"

Stacy had ducked into her shell. "What was that?" she asked.

"Oh, that was just Senior Dugtrio," Bobby said. "He updates the boards whenever new jobs come in. His son Junior Diglett runs the security post with Larry most days."

"Isn't Loudred one of the apprentices too?" Stacy asked, coming out.

"Well yes. Junior too. But Junior wants to be staff like his dad and Larry… well he's turned out to be too loud for most jobs. But if you ever get one that requires a lot of noise, he's great to have along."

"I imagine," Trey said.

"Hey, who's that fellow that keeps yelling back at him every morning?" Kip asked. "I don't recognize the voice any other time, but he sounds like a jolly fellow to hang out with."

"Oh, gosh, I dunno. Whoever it is is pretty good at keeping quiet about it."

"Outlaw Board updated!" Senior shouted, then knocked the board back around. The alarm sounded again a few seconds later. "Board updating!" The Job board then banged around. "Please be patient!"

"Okay, so..." Bobby looked disappointed. "Aw, the one I picked was taken off for being too old."

"Well that's probably good thing," Trey pointed out.

Without warning, Sally reached over and tapped one of the notices. 'From: Magnemite Mika Outlaw: Mr. Fred the Drowzee Current location: Unknown, possibly around Treasure Town. Crimes: lying, cheating, generally being a bully. Suspected of potentially greater crimes. Please help us catch him before he does something truly atrocious.' It came with a picture of the Pokemon who had left with Matti and Azeri.

"Oh my goodness, we just saw him!" Stacy said. "And he left… oh, I didn't ask where they were going. What's going to happen to them?" She dropped her head back into her shell.

"Hey, don't give up yet," Trey said. "We'll go right out and look for them. But the only clue we have is a place I don't recognize."

"What clue?" Stacy asked.

"Sally's dream… oh, can you show it to Kip?"

"Huh, what?" the Skitty asked, looking between the three, puzzled.

"You've been all sorts of places," Trey said. "Maybe you'll recognize the place Sally saw."

The human knelt down and put her fingers over Kip's amber eyes. He nearly jerked back, but then paused. "Nasty. Yeah, I know the place: Mount Bristle, the rough and tumble mountain. Not too bad, but those rockslides are nightmares. Not to mention that deal with the peak." He shuddered. "Ugh. Didn't want to remember that."

"Let's get right over there!" Stacy said, then hurried out with Trey and Sally.

"Huh?" Bobby asked. "What's going on?"

"Emergency-like situation," Kip said. He grabbed the outlaw paper, then took off after them. "Later woodchuck!"

Mount Bristle was a bleak Mystery Dungeon, with rough rocks and dusty paths. The passages took form of curving trails that led further up the mountain. Stacy first suggested splitting up and looking all over, but Kip countered that. He believed that Mr. Fred would go all the way up to the peak, so it would be faster to stick together and pass levels quickly.

Five levels in, Sally clapped for Stacy's attention. She pointed over a large gap, where Matti was sitting alone, crying.

"Matti!" Stacy called, going over to the gap and stopping short of it. "We're here."

"Stacy?" he said, rubbing his eyes and looking over. Once he recognized them, he came over to the gap too. "Stacy! I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I was looking around for the passage when I fell down a slope and got separated. I tried calling for them, but they wouldn't answer. I'm afraid something ate them."

"It's okay," Stacy said. "We're here to rescue you both."

"That gap is rather big, even for Sally to step over," Trey pointed out.

Sally didn't let that stop her. After waving to Matti to stand aside, she braced herself, then made a long running jump over the gap. Unfortunately, when she put her hand against the wall to brace herself, some more rocks came loose and tumbled down.

"Matti, Sally!" Stacy called, worried.

Kip coughed. "I told you *hack* nasty rockslides."

When the dust cleared, they saw that the two were okay, in an odd manner. Sally was coughing hard from the dust. But her usual yellow top and black bottom accessories were gone. Instead, her entire body from her neck down was covered in a strange light green steel skin. Her head was mostly covered by a helmet device, with the bottom part of her white hair fluttering along her back. This second skin had taken the rockslide without a scratch. Matti was sheltered under her, scared but apparently okay.

"Sally?" Trey called. "What happened to you?"

The human looked down, puzzled. She shrugged, then picked up Matti to bring him back to the other side. This time, the jump was much easier; she cleared at least three extra feet, causing Kip to scramble out of the way. Sally put Matti down next to Stacy; the two hugged.

"I was so scared for you, Matti," Stacy said.

"I want to go home," he sobbed.

"Sorry, but we've got to continue up and find Azeri. Mr. Fred is a bad Pokemon."

"He seemed so nice."

"Which means he's either new to the darkness or really deep into it," Kip stated. "Let's go on before they get too far ahead of us."

With a child along, they had to continue on a little slower and a lot more cautious. Matti knew how to do a few things, like twitching his tail to make a foe less wary and lower their defenses. He tried to throw a couple of pebbles he had found, but only one found its mark.

On the other hand, Stacy was able to mow through the numerous Rock type enemies with her Water Gun and Brine. Trey was able to do so a bit less effectively with Drain. Kip had only physical and status attacks, but they were useful for affecting non-Rocks that tried to sneak up on the others. And Sally was able to make her usual physical kicks and punches stronger because of her second skin, to where she could punch a Geodude out cold without hurting her fingers.

After ten long levels, they came to a flat opening near the mountain's peak. It seemed oddly familiar to Trey and Sally. Mr. Fred was near the end of that opening with Azeri. "It doesn't matter what happened to your brother," the Drowzee said, not a hint of his former warmth showing. "Now you see that little hole over there? There's treasure back there, but I can't fit through there. You though, you're going to go in there and get it for me. if you don't go in there, you're going to be in big trouble."

The Azurill shivered, gripping his tail ball with all paws. "H-h-help!"

"There's no one else around, but keep quiet," Mr. Fred replied harshly. "Now you'll do as I say, or else."

"B-b-but…" Azeri said, frightened.

"Do it."

Trey and Kip felt a chill, as that had been exactly what Sally's dream had been about. After silently indicating to Sally to take Matti and protect him, Stacy ran over to them. "Stop it! You aren't making my little brother do anything!"

Trey followed up with Kip. "You're not going to get away with bullying little kids," Trey added.

Mr. Fred tensed in surprise and turned around. "Oh, it's you guys," he said. Then he stepped back and took hold of Azeri. "You think I can't get away? I can, and I'll take this one with me."

"Stacy," Azeri called, pleading. "Mr. Fred's a meanie."

Stacy and Trey were stalled, though. Could Mr. Fred teleport and kidnap little Azeri? They didn't know if he could. And if he did, what could they do to stop him?

That doubt didn't stop Kip. "Oh, you think you can get away, do you?" he replied in an equally sharp tone. "You can get away from us. You can get away from us as many times as you like."

"Kip!" Stacy cried out, horrified.

The Skitty took a step forward, folding his ears back. "But you can't get away, no, you can't. You can't run from the darkness."

"What are you talking about?" Mr. Fred said, although the way his eyes widened at the words indicated that he might have known.

"I know what happened to you. You were just happily minding your own business when suddenly, the darkness descended upon your mind. Maybe you invited it in, or maybe it tricked its way there. But it seemed harmless at first, right? Giving you little whispers of suggestions, telling you that you could be great if you followed its words, nudging you into pushing the boundaries of civilized life. That's what it did."

He brought his free arm in defensively. "So what about it?"

Kip swished his pink tail. "And the darkness came so very close to its first victory over you. You know what's back in that hole?"

"Treasure?"

"Nothing. Just some rocks, some path, and a great big PITFALL that drops all the way down into the depths of Mount Bristle, leading to instant death to any luckless 'mon that manages to trip it. I know cause I saw somebody fall down that pitfall. And after that, things get worse. Much worse."

"You're lying," Mr. Fred tried to counter, but he seemed to be shaking.

"And after that victory, the darkness won't leave you alone. It'll badger you with both guilt and greed, trying to get you to do more and more bad things for it. With each victory it wins, the darkness in your mind grows stronger and louder. Eventually, you're broken down into a crazed raving madpoke with no hope, no will, and no happiness. I've seen that happen too. You can emerge from the depths of darkness; I'm trying to, even though it can still scream in my mind. You though, it barely whispers in you. Don't let it get its first victory. Give the child back to us and go with the Sheriff's minions. There are 'mons out there that can get you away from the darkness easily at this stage."

After Kip stopped speaking, everyone was silent, watching him. Only the wind could be heard for a moment. The blood seemed to have drained from the Drowzee's face, leaving him a pale sickly yellow. "It… it didn't seem dangerous," he said, as if he felt distant from the conversation. But he took his hand off Azeri.

The Azurill ran away as soon as he could and soon was hugging Stacy and Matti. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"You didn't do anything bad," Stacy reassured him. "I'm so glad to have you back safe."

Kip went up to Mr. Fred. "You did the right thing, 'mon. Let's go back."

Sheriff Magnezone, Mika, and another Magnemite met them at the Guild. "Thank you for apprehending this outlaw," Magnezone Bailey said. "Especially when we had no idea where he was hiding out at."

"And thanks for helping me get back my brothers," Stacy told the other three. "I'm sorry we can't really offer you any reward, but…"

"It's okay," Trey said, shaking Stacy's paw. "You're one of us."

"But don't go expecting more pro bono work," Kip said.

"You don't get paid at all," Mika reminded him.

"Bah."

"In that case, may I offer this treasure along with the office reward money?" Bailey offered, sending over a box.

Trey opened it. "Oh wow, Gummis! These are really valuable."

"It was quite remarkable that you were able to bring him in without a fight," Bailey stated. "And to have scaled Mount Bristle as a very new team, you did an excellent job. So it is a worthy reward." He turned to his helpers. "Come on, let's go."

"Aw," Mr. Fred said, as the Magnemites began forcing him up the ladder and out of the Guild building.

"There's a White, a Silver, a Blue… oo, and a Grass!"

"What's the difference?" Stacy asked.

"Well the Gummis come in different types, like Pokemon do. The blue one is Water type, the White Normal, and the Silver Steel. I guess you would get the Silver one, Sally. I don't know what type humans are, even after watching you fight."

She smiled and took it anyhow.

"What, you're going to trust me with something valuable?" Kip said.

"It's special food that is said to boost your talents," Trey said, handing him the White. "So if you eat it before anyone notices, we won't tell."

Stacy laughed as she took the Blue. "Sure, we won't."

At dinner, the story of Marmalade's first arrest somehow got a lot of attention. "So that's what's behind that tiny tunnel?" Larry asked. "A pitfall?"

"Horribly nasty one at that," Kip stated. "But the rumor's way overblown the truth."

"Golly, your story is mighty impressive," Bobby told Trey.

"What's the darkness you were talking about?" Azeri asked the Skitty. He and Matti had been invited to stay for dinner.

"Bad stuff. Don't listen to any thought that isn't yours. But you're young; it probably wouldn't try anything to you right now."

"How'd you break out of it?" Stacy asked.

"Why all the interest in me all of a sudden?" Kip asked. "And without any of it being about my cuteness? Anyhow, I've had this feeling the whole time that somehow, somewhere, there's a treasure that belongs to me. I don't know what it looks like or what it does, but I just know that when I see it, I'll know it. That's how I slipped into darkness; it kept making me second-guess every treasure I ran across as possibly being mine when I felt that it wasn't. And it gave me all sorts of crazy places to look for it too. Finally, I realized that with the darkness controlling me, I wasn't going to find it, my light of the darkness." He scratched his head with his back paw. "Of course, it kind of took Magnezone's interrogation techniques to really make me realize that. But I won't admit to being glad that some gang of mutts were the ones to catch me."

"What if your treasure is owned by someone else?" Matti asked.

"I'd steal it. No, I'm kidding. I'll try whatever it takes to get the person to realize that it is mine and it is very important that I have it. I just hope it's not in some madhouse Mystery Dungeon, like the Zero Isles."

"Where's that?" Azeri asked.

"Don't even think about going there," he replied.

"It's a special and extremely difficult dungeon," Trey said. "Or rather, it's a set of five randomly changing towers, a different tower each day. And the wild magic of Zero Isle is particularly brutal. It will take some or all of your items the moment to step in the door. And it can potentially drop weakening handicaps on you. They ought to just destroy the place, as so many foolish adventurers get trapped, lost, or even killed in there."

"You can't even do that," Charlie pointed out as he walked by. "That would just encourage the wild magic of Zero Isle to spread to other dungeons."

"Ooo, that'd be awful," Kip said, shuddering.

"Oh, and we were going to invite your mother too, but," Charlie started to say.

The three siblings went quiet. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Stacy said. "We didn't want to get separated, so we didn't tell anybody."

"About what?" Trey asked.

"Mommy's dead," Azeri said, sniffling a bit.

"I'm sorry to learn of this," Charlie said. "But you had left your brothers alone?"

"Well Matti's really responsible for his age," Stacy said, flustered enough that her tail came uncurled. "And he should be taking his Rite of Passage in a few months anyhow. And I was supposed to be nearby if they needed me…"

Charlie didn't seem too impressed with this. However, before he could launch into a rant in front of everybody, Bartleby interrupted by saying, "Well they can stay here at the Guild then."

"What?" Charlie asked, startled.

"Really?" Stacy asked, surprised.

He nodded, tossing his Perfect Apple high. "Of course they can. They are good kids; everyone around town knows that. Right Charlie?"

"Um, right Bartle," he admitted.

"And your mother and father were both really great explorers," Bartleby added, catching his apple squarely between his ears. "And real wonderful friends too. He sacrificed a lot to help others, as did she. So, it's no trouble at all if you stay here while things are tough."

"Oh, thank you so much," Stacy said, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, thank you," Matti said, with a cheer and bounce from Azeri.

"Bartleby is so kind," Chiaka said dreamily.

"And Team Woodchuck!" the Guildmaster called out, spinning around.

"Huh?" Bobby said, jerking his head up from the table. "What is it?"

"Your team has a spare room next to the girls in Marmalade, right? Would you mind giving it to the boys to have as their own?"

"Oh gosh, no, that's perfectly fine with me."

"Then it's all settled and everybody's happy!" Bartleby cheered. He looked to Charlie and thumped him on the back. "Right?"

"Um, right."

That night, Stacy came to tuck her brothers into bed. "I'm glad to have you close again," she told them. "I had missed you."

"Me too," Matti said.

"Me three," Azeri added.

"The staff here is very nice," Stacy said. "So be good for them, okay?"

"Okay," they said.

"Are you a great explorer yet?" Azeri asked. "Everybody was talking about you and your friends."

She blushed. "Oh, not yet. I hope I will be, though."

"You can do it," Matti said. "You're brave."

"Not always, but thank you. Oh, and you might want to be up early. Larry does the morning call and he's really loud."

"Really really loud?" Azeri asked.

"Yes, really really loud. Good night, Azeri, Matti."

"Good night."

After she left their room, Stacy found Trey outside of his room. His broad leafy tail, which was usually arched up, was touching the ground now. Maybe that was a sign that he was tired; his eyes certainly looked that way. "Have you seen Kip?" he asked, annoyed. "He's the one who's supposed to have a curfew."

"Not recently," Stacy said. "But I'll go look. You go on to bed; you look exhausted."

"A little," he admitted grudgingly. "I've never been on such a long trek before. But all the rest of you seemed to have no trouble. I hope I won't be dragging the rest of you down."

"You don't have to worry about that," she said, patting his shoulder in a friendly way. "I mean, you might be the least experienced in battle; I've trained with my parents and Kip, well, he's been evading the law for years if his boasts are right."

"Sally has no idea herself," Trey added, "but you have to admit, she must have gotten training somewhere prior to losing her memory."

"Right. But I'm sure you'll catch up. I could help you with that, if you like."

"That's okay." He yawned, stretching his arms. "Well, I'd better go to bed, before I fall asleep out here."

She smiled. "Sure thing. Good night, Trey."

"G'night," he mumbled, then trudged back into his room.

Stacy found Kip fairly quickly, in the main area of the third floor. He was looking out of the large window out over the river. Coming over by him, she said, "Hey Kip, it's getting late."

"Phffft," he replied. "I know. Are you tired?"

"A little, but I can stay up and talk if you'd like," she offered. It seemed like something was on his mind. Even if he was a former outlaw, he was part of her team now, and she should help whenever she could.

"I don't want to talk," he said, then twisted his ears back in a way that made him look sad. "Would you come out for a walk with me? I can't leave this dang place unescorted."

"All right, but we shouldn't be out for long."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."

They left the guild building. Kip led her down the slope of the cliff and around to the river below. All the time, his ears and tail kept twitching and shifting between emotions. "What's bothering you?" she asked kindly.

"Hmph." He took a few steps, then added, "I don't want to talk about it and you don't want to hear about it. I swear this by the paws of Arceus."

"By the paws of who?"

"Nevermind." He stopped by a large tree stump. While it looked like an ordinary rotting stump, Kip knocked the top off to reveal a hidden space. "The dang peons of the Sheriff raided most of my stashes," he said, looking into the stump. "But I think… yeah, they left that."

Stacy came over to see him pull out a small piece of gray metal. "What's that?"

"A ghost of my past," he said, then laughed nervously. "Nah. It came from an Aron." Kip looked at the piece of steel, serious again. Then he went to the bank of the river and threw it across the water. It dropped midway.

Stacy wasn't sure what any of that was about. And even if he said that she didn't want to know what, it only made her more curious. After thinking for a minute, she decided to ask, "Does that help?"

"I don't know," Kip replied, frustration showing in his tone. "I don't know if what happened today makes up for what happened before. I don't know if any of this helps anyone, much less redeems me. I just know that I didn't want to see that scene ever again."

That didn't help clear anything up, but she felt like he would continue being evasive if she asked for an explanation. Feeling like she should say something, she told him, "Well, you do the best you can to do what's right. Isn't that how it goes? Besides, you helped a couple of kids keep out of serious trouble. That's good in my view, even if I didn't know them."

He turned and looked at her for a moment. There was quiet, save for the motions of the river and the calls of wild Pokemon. Then, he smiled and walked back towards her. "Dang, you're a straight arrow. Never thought I'd say this, but I hope that doesn't change. Come on, let's go back before anyone catches me being out this late."

The next morning…

"IT'S MORNING TIME! GET UP!"

"Go away, Loudred."

After the daily meeting and checking with who would take care of the two boys, Charlie said, "Well you know how to run things now. Each morning, go choose a job and complete it. Make a good report when you come in and inform us if your mission might take you more than a day. If I have any special assignments, I'll have you stay after the daily meeting."


	6. Silver Temptations, part 1

For several days, Team Marmalade found a comfortable routine. Listen to the daily meeting, go out to town to prepare, choose a job, then find what had been asked for or locate a lost Pokemon or arrest an outlaw Pokemon, then come back to the Guild. Stacy would spend time with her brothers, Trey would study sign language, Kip sometimes checked in with his parole officer Mika or found some chore to do around the guild, and Sally found sewing projects to do when she wasn't helping Trey with sign language.

Kip still wasn't allowed any money or treasures, but Trey and Sally came to a secret agreement to split the reward money unevenly, so that Stacy got plenty of money to take care of her brothers. "I'm used to making do with much much less," the Treecko said to the human. "And you seem to be all right with that new armored skin you've got."

Sally had to agree with that. Now that she remembered even having it, she could activate her armored skin with the press of a button on her strange armbands. She saved it for the dungeons, though. When coming back to town or the Guild, she would switch back to her usual accessories. Except, she had also figured out how to change them. When she put in a command for either her armored skin or different accessories, a column of light would come over her. When it vanished, she would be in her new outfit. They came in lots of different colors and styles. Sally told Trey that the tops were properly called 'shirts' and the bottoms… well the bottoms were known by various names depending on what they were. Long ones that covered both legs were 'pants', short ones that covered both legs were 'shorts', and the really loose ones that went around both legs were called 'skirts'. One time, she wore something called a 'dress', a one piece outfit that covered her from shoulders to knees.

It seemed very complicated, but a few pictures in the human sign language book seemed to show that this over-accessorization was common among humans.

There came one morning that Sally had a question, which she related to Trey right before the daily meeting. "I probably could have answered it myself, but she wants to know if it's really all right for us to be fighting the wild Pokemon," Trey explained to the others. "Because they're like us."

"They are not like us," Larry argued. "They're wild, after all."

"That's not true," Chiaka said. "You can help wild Poemon become civilized, sometimes."

"But then they're not wild," Larry said.

"Yes, but they were."

"Like I was wild at one point," Trey said. "But I got brought into Treasure Town as a young child."

"To answer the question," Charlie interrupted, "if wild Pokemon approach you, it's okay to fight them. They might be looking for a challenge too. And some of them are half-wild, speaking and sometimes even having their own name. Those ones might want help in becoming more civilized. So you let them tag along with you and talk with them. Most of the time, though, they won't want to leave their home dungeon."

"Although sometimes you come across ones that just want to protect their home," Bartleby added. "If you know you're dealing with a wild Pokemon like that, it's nice to make them think you're intimidated by them."

At the end of the meeting, Charlie added, "And we have a special announcement. In the coming days, our Guild will be setting out for a full exploration of an unknown region."

All of the apprentices got excited. "Really?" "How exciting!" "Oh my gosh!"

The Chatot held up a wing for quiet. "We have yet to decide who we are taking on this expedition. It will take several days to complete it. So do your best the next few days and prove that you deserve to go on the big trip!"

There were cheers and happy talk about working extra hard to go on the big exploration. Team Marmalade grinned at each other. "That would be awesome," Trey said.

"Kip couldn't go," Stacy said, a little disappointed for him.

He touched his paw to his nose. "Well, it depends on my parole officer's judgment. Maybe I'll actually be polite to sparky for a bit. Would be nice to get out of this neck of the woods for a few days."

Charlie called Team Marmalade to stay after the daily meeting. "I've got a new kind of job in for you. All of the others are already off on missions, so you get the special one. And it will be good practice if you get picked on the big trip."

"A special mission?" Stacy asked, curious.

The Chatot nodded. "Yes, quite exciting. You get to explore an unexplored Mystery Dungeon!"

"Really? Great! Where do we find it?"

"Here is the report we received," he said, handing over a paper. "It will give you the coordinates for the entrance that was found. The witness did not go inside, so we have no idea what lies within. However, it shouldn't be too difficult."

They looked over the paper. "I think we can find the place," Trey said. "it seems to be just up the river."

"Great! Good luck, Marmalade."

They followed the river upstream. Trey and Stacy talked excitedly about exploring a new place. Sally seemed excited and happy too. Kip kept quiet, looking around for one reason or another.

At the end of the path, they came upon a strong waterfall. The energetic water had carved out a deep crevice below the ground, crashing into a pond a hundred feet below them. The pond fed into the main river while a good sized rocky hill led them right to the edge of the curtain of water. "Well this is where the dungeon is supposed to be," Stacy said. "Doesn't look like much."

"I don't like the looks of that waterfall," Kip said. "If you slipped off there, boom! You'd be out like a light and you wouldn't know where you'd wind up downstream."

"You're right. Maybe there's some trick to this. Look around, guys."

They searched. Sally went up to the waterfall and put her hand under the spray of water. As it turned out, the water was coming down so forcefully that it stung her hand. She jerked it back. As she did, she seemed to have one of those headaches. She stumbled back.

"Hey, careful there," Kip said, darting away from her foot. "Don't go stepping on my tail."

"One of those things again?" Stacy asked, coming up to her. "I wonder what it is."

Once her mind cleared up, she knelt down and put her fingers over Stacy's eyes. She transferred another vision: at this waterfall… it was a bit dim… a shadowy figure came up and looked at the waterfall… it backed up, then rushed at the water at full speed. It went right through the water and landed in a cave behind the waterfall. Past that, there was a strange cave opening, a Mystery Dungeon.

"Whoa, huh?" Stacy looked at the waterfall. "You think it could be like that?"

Sally nodded; she seemed to have confidence in it.

"Like what?" Trey asked.

"She showed me something. It looked like someone ran at the waterfall as fast as it could go, then passed right through and found the dungeon past the water."

"Aw, so somebody else has already been inside?" Kip asked.

"Jump into the waterfall?" Trey asked.

"Do you have some kind of magic power, Sally?" Stacy asked. "You get those headaches, and then you see something you can show the rest of us."

She nodded, then put her hand back in the waterfall.

"I think it happens whenever she touches something or someone," Trey said. "Like that vision with Azeri, she had touched his apple and gave it back to him. And then later, she touched the Drowzee guy, Fred, right?"

"Mr. Fred," Stacy said with some disdain. "You're right."

Kip twitched his ears. "That's some crazy power, though, since you have to have a headache to see anything. I wouldn't want it."

She shrugged, then pointed to the waterfall.

"Yes, let's try it out," Stacy said. "I trust Sally. And, I can be brave."

"Easy for you to say, Water type," Kip countered. "Well, I'll give it a shot. I'll curse you all if I drown, though."

"Okay, so we have to run at it really fast." Stacy moved back. "Okay, here I go!" She raced at the waterfall and jumped.

"Did she make it?" Kip asked.

"I don't hear her, but that waterfall is loud. I'm going!" Trey ran at and jumped in the waterfall.

"Well, I guess." Kip ran through, soon followed by Sally.

Behind the water, there was a surprisingly large cavern. A tunnel at the other side emitted the wild magic that Mystery Dungeons contained. Stacy's eyes seemed to sparkle. "So the vision was right!"

"This place looks undisturbed," Trey said. "So maybe we are the first."

"But Sally showed me someone coming in here," Stacy said.

"Well the Azeri thing was in the future, by several days the first time. So maybe someone will follow us."

"Huh, that could be. Okay! Let's go!" They went inside.

The dungeon was damp and cool, with the sounds of the waterfall rushing by or over them. The passages were stone stairs that tended to be slick. As they went deeper inside, the cave grew warmer.

After ten levels, they came upon a dead end level. But not just any dead end. Dozens of beautiful gemstones littered the floors and walls. On the ceiling, a large white crystal shone, giving the room light. Dark tunnels sat on either side and it was impossible to tell if there were drop-offs back there.

"Wow, this place is so beautiful," Stacy said in awe.

"Yeah… hey, look at this!" He moved over to a red jewel that sat in the wall. "This is almost as big as the two of us!"

The Skitty, though, was hunkered down, looking at the ground. "I don't want those, I don't want those," he muttered over and over again.

"I guess he has to overcome his thieving habits," Stacy said quietly. Then louder, she added, "Maybe we can pull it out and bring it back to show everyone."

"Yeah, they'd all be amazed." Trey took hold of it, then pulled backwards with all the strength in his body. "Ugh…. It's… really stuck in there." He let go and flexed his hands. "Ooo, that hurt my fingers."

"Why don't you try, Sally?" Stacy said. "You're biggest."

She nodded, then tried to pull it out. But although she was the biggest, she had problems getting a grip on the red jewel. Eventually, she shook her head. She couldn't get it out either.

"Maybe if the two of us try," Trey suggested.

"We can try." She went to take hold of it with the Treecko.

Sally grimaced under another vision, but snapped out of the confusion sooner. She clapped to get their attention, but something else had happened. Stacy had managed to push it into the wall, triggering a clicking sound.

"Well it moved," Stacy said. There was a trembling underfoot. "Wh-what's going on?"

Sally looked around but before she could find a way out, a wall of water rushed at them from the left side of the room, sweeping them all away. The force of water shot them up a strange tunnel, then fired them into the air. The three Pokemon were flung far into the air, landing into a hot pool of water.

"Oh my goodness," Stacy said.

Kip thrashed in the water until he found his way out. His fur was weighed down, making him look smaller than usual. "Ugh, my cute fur. I went out of my way to avoid getting wet!"

"Oh dear," an elderly Torkoal said. "Where did you three come from?"

"We were in a Mystery Dungeon at the waterfall…" Trey said.

"At the waterfall? My, you've come a long way. This is the Hot Springs."

"Elder Torkoal? So this is where you hang out?" the Treecko asked.

He nodded with his ember-red head. "Most days, yes."

Stacy looked around. There was a Mankey and a Primeape also in the hot springs pool. But, "Wait a sec… where's Sally?"

"Well she was bigger and heavier than us," Trey said. "She probably didn't get flung as far."

The Squirtle went out of the water. "We should go find her. She might have got hurt."

Before they left, though, Sally came up the path to them. Her armored skin looked muddy, but she seemed to be okay. She clapped her hands and smiled when she saw them.

"Oh good. Well that was strange."

"Why don't you relax here a little while before you head back?" the elder suggested. "It seems you kids have been through some crazy adventure."

"We have. Thanks. Anyone have any objections?"

"I'm gonna find a sunny spot and dry off," Kip said in irritation.

Sally indicated that she was going to find another pool of water to wash off the mud, so Stacy and Trey went back into the hot springs and chatted with the other visitors.

On their way back, Sally showed Stacy and Trey what she had seen when she had touched the jewel (as Kip was still mad and wet-fur spiky). The same shadowy figure they had seen jump in the waterfall had also found the red jewel. It had tried to get it out, but wound up pushing it. That Pokemon had gotten swept away by the indoors tsunami as well.

"So that's what you were trying to warn us about," Stacy said.

"Probably all of those jewels were booby-trapped," Kip grumbled. "Dungeons tend to do that to be cruel to treasure hunters."

"I know that Pokemon!" Trey said. "That was Guildmaster Bartleby!"

"Really?" Stacy thought. "It did seem like him, at least the outline."

"And how many other Wigglytuffs do you know of? Especially in exploring? I think it was the Guildmaster. We should ask him if he was ever there."

When they told Bartleby of this over dinner, his reply was, "Maybe I was there. Ah, sweet memories!" He whistled happily.

"Maybe?" Charlie asked. "You told me you didn't recognize the coordinates yesterday."

Bartleby rolled the day's Perfect Apple across his head. "I think I was. A great big whoosh that drops you off in the Hot Springs? Yeah, that sounds about right. But good work! That's a nice little dungeon there in… what's it called?"

"It doesn't have a name yet," Charlie said in exasperation.

"You could just call it Waterfall Cave," Trey pointed out. "Just warn everybody that the jewels at the end are probably all booby trapped."

"We'll definitely record that," the Chatot noted.

* * *

 

Trey picked a paper off the Job board. "How's this one, Stacy? A collector wants us to find a Silver Acorn from Apple Woods."

"Oh that sounds relaxing, compared to the last few missions," she said, looking over the paper. "Especially that Voltorb mess yesterday."

"My fur's still singed in places from that," Kip grumbled.

"You're going into Apple Woods?" Charlie asked. "Could I ask you to do an errand for the guild?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"We like to keep a good supply of Perfect Apples around," he told them. "As you've probably noticed, the Guildmaster is nuts for them. But Perfect Apples only grow deep in large forests, on trees over a hundred years old. If you could bring some back, that would be great."

"We'll look, but we also have to find this Silver Acorn," Stacy said.

Apple Woods was a cheery forest, thick with trees that were leafy and full of fruit. Patches of violets and pansies grew all over, underneath apple trees, oak trees, cherry trees, and walnut trees. Finding the singular kind of oak tree that would produce a Silver Acorn, a Grand Silver Oak, would take a thorough search.

Kip went with Trey this time. The Skitty hopped over to a shiny blue orb on the ground. "Ha-hah, I have found a… ah rock smash, it's just a Hurl Orb." He hurled it into the trees.

"It would be pretty funny to see you use that with a large Pokemon," Trey joked.

"Bah. 'mon, it ain't no fun no more."

Trey looked over his partner, concerned. Kip seemed restless, looking around and darting to anything he saw, then getting disappointed when it turned out to be regular dungeon items. He didn't even seem happy to pick up coins, even though he had to turn them all over to Trey anyhow. The former thief was supposedly improving, but what if he got restless and bored, only to slip into his old habits?

"Now if that had been a Trawl Orb, that would be something different." His tail moved a bit higher and he seemed slightly cheered. "Use one of those things and bam, everything in the dungeon comes right to your feet. Well every thing, not everyone. Although I did love to use Rollcall Orbs to mess with everybody. That's one sure fire way to get away from a pesky outlaw hunting team; get a few steps from them and call on every single wild Pokemon in the dungeon to beat on them while you skedaddle." He paused, twitching his ears. "Course, now I got to watch for outlaws who do that to me instead. Bah." He looked disappointed again.

Maybe if he distracted him. "What kind of treasure is your treasure, you think? That light of the darkness you mention sometimes."

"I don't know what that thing is," he stated. It seemed to work; his mind focused on that. "I just know that when I see it, I'll know it. I think I might have owned it one time, you know, like Stacy owns that weird stone charm with the winged wheel or whatever that thing is. But the darkness blurred my old memories, seems like. I was pretty far gone."

"Maybe it's… oh hey, look at that tree."

They had run across a massive, broad, tall, and ancient looking oak tree. The leaves were intriguing: dark green on top and silvery green on bottom. The trunk and branches were so snarled up that even Stacy would be able to climb up it. There were a great many acorns hanging on the branches.

"Hey girls, I think we found the right tree!" He looked back up it. "Or at least one that's very close. I would call that a Silver Oak. Not sure if it's a grand."

"Certainly looks like a grand old dame," Kip stated.

Stacy and Sally came up to them. "Oh wow, that's an amazing tree," Stacy said.

"You're impressed by everything," Kip teased.

She ignored him, or was too awed to notice. "So we need to search it for a Silver Acorn."

"The reference I checked while we were shopping said that the Silver Acorn should grow highest." He saw that Sally had plucked an ordinary looking acorn from the lower branches. "No, not that one. Can you get up that high?"

The human looked. Now that she was standing by it, Trey could guess that the Grand Silver Oak was some fifty feet tall. Sally gripped hold of a low branch, but then slowly made some signs.

"The upper branches are… are what? Too small?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, they might not support her weight," Stacy said. "One of us should go up with her."

"Me or Kip would probably manage up there," Trey pointed out.

"Right. Do you mind going up with her, Kip?"

"So long as Miss Long Limbs is doing most of the climbing," Kip replied, then let Sally pick him up and hold onto him.

Sally seemed quite confident in climbing the large tree. While she nearly slipped a time or two, she didn't hesitant when picking out her next hand or foot hold. Three times, they ran into Pokemon that lived in the tree who didn't like them being there. Sally was restricted in movement to fight effectively, but Kip was able to manage just fine balancing on the narrow branches to scare off the natives. Although one time, Sally managed to send a Nuzleaf flying down several levels of branches.

Finally, they got near the top of the tree. Sally couldn't climb up further, as the branches bent under the lightest grip of her hands. Kip climbed up the last few feet, but even some of those began bending to his weight. Up there, there grew an acorn that was different than the brown ones below. This one was a shimmering silver, sparkling like a pond with the faintest of ripples. Otherwise, it seemed to be the same size and shape as the other acorns.

It was pretty, Kip thought. And very rare. He carefully crossed branches to it, then plucked it from its nub. Almost immediately, the darkness slithered to attention. It is yours, it is yours, it is yours, take it and run.

He had resisted well before, but his native love for treasure also latched onto this Silver Acorn. It had been a trek to reach, difficult to climb to, and risky to pick. They… he had done all the work. Why should it go to some lazy collector in town who probably had dozens of these, without having lifted a finger for any single one? It was a strange thing of their society, as powerful and rich Pokemon often didn't have to do a thing to ensure their continued fortunes and power. They just had to bully and trick smaller and weaker Pokemon like himself to get what they wanted. Lazy bums who didn't deserve the thrill of treasure because they shied away from the thrill of the collecting…

Sally clapped, getting his attention. But it made him paranoid. "No," he hissed, the darkness slipping back into his voice. "It's mine, mine! You can't take it from me!" He jumped and tried to escape.

While he was smaller (therefore able to handle the small branches better) and nimbler (able to handle obstacles better), Sally's long limbs and five-fingered hands gave her an even better advantage high in the trees. She managed to get in his way down one branch. When she reached out to him, he hissed and lashed out with his claws, trying to keep hold of the Silver Acorn. But her armored second skin didn't get a scratch from his attack. She managed to grab him.

Unfortunately, he dropped the Silver Acorn. Putting the struggling Kip close to her chest so he had a harder time squirming away, Sally moved down the branches, somehow following the tiny sparkling acorn on its way down. It would get stopped in a nook, but once she dropped onto the branch, it got knocked out of place and continued down. She had one opportunity to pick it up, but decided to toe it off the branch instead, so she could keep a better grip on Kip.

It fell out of the tree near Stacy. "Oh, this must be the Silver Acorn!"

"That is really beautiful," Trey said, as the Squirtle picked it up and Sally dropped out of the tree.

Kip took his chance, finally slipping out of the human's grasp. He grabbed the Silver Acorn from Stacy and ran off. "It's mine!"

"Kip!" Stacy called, right before they started chasing after him.

"Oh, why now?" Trey grumbled. "Why'd he have to revert back to a thief now when that big trip is coming up?"

"He didn't sound right, though… Trey, you get ahead of him."

The Treecko nodded, then took off into the trees. With his special paws, he could grip onto surfaces and race across them, even if vertical, upside-down, twisted, or smooth. Trees especially; his kind had developed in forests thicker and darker than this. He got ahead of the Skitty before the next clearing, then leapt down and tackled him into stopping. "Stacy, that orb!"

"Right!" When she and Sally got into the opening where the two were wrestling, she grabbed the orb off the ground and smashed it. In a split second, she regretted not checking what it was before doing so.


	7. Silver Temptations, part 2

After Stacy broke the orb, the whole opening shimmered, then vanished in a golden light. When the light cleared, the area looked completely different. The trees were larger, older, taller, and broader. A canopy of leaves blocked out the sky. The grass had changed from the long soft variety to a short thin type. The flowers turned to orchids and shade-loving varieties. Even the air felt different.

Sally dug into her Treasure Bag, then pulled out a yellow seed. She came over and cracked it under Kip's nose. The struggling Skitty fell asleep immediately.

"Sorry," Trey said. "I thought that would be a Petrify Orb."

"At least it warped all of us to the same spot," she said. "So what happened?"

Sally knelt down and used her power to show both of them what had happened to Kip.

"So he saw this Acorn and missed that chance to resist his darkness," Stacy said.

"I was worried about him, but then didn't think to offer to go up instead," Trey said, feeling guilty. "He was getting restless and bored with the regular treasures and all the apples we were finding."

"He'd been doing so well. I don't think any of us expected him to break. So now what?"

Sally dug back into her bag and brought out a Stun Seed.

"Oh right, the Sleep Seed will only keep him out for a little bit. But the Stun Seed will keep him from doing anything until either we release him or something attacks him."

"So we could hopefully talk him out of his dark state," Stacy concluded. "Good thinking, Sally. We're going to end up being late getting back. Then again, maybe time and luck will be on our side. Let's find a good place to camp, just in case."

Sally gently picked Kip up, to keep him from waking. After checking out several openings, Trey found one that had a stream and only one entrance. They set up near the stream, by a large tree. Sally put Kip down and cracked the Stun Seed over him to paralyze him. They put the Silver Acorn away in Stacy's bag.

A short time later, the sleep effect ran out. Kip blinked, then realized that he couldn't move. He grumbled and cursed quietly. That tone of darkness was still in his voice.

"Kip, calm down," Stacy said, sitting by him. "You're stronger then your darkness."

"You don't know anything about that," he growled. "You're a worthless optimist who gets starstruck over every little thing. You worry too much for a leader and you'll fail catastrophically in the end, only to be paralyzed by guilt and dread."

Sally touched Stacy. The Squirtle gave a slight nod. The darkness, whatever it really was, was just trying to throw her off. "Kip, think of your light. And we're your friends; we just want to help you. Find your light again."

"I can only find the trail of that light," Kip said sadly, in his own voice. But then the darkness slid back in control. "It is useless to struggle. The darkness will claim the ultimate victory. There is nothing you nor anybody else can do." His forehead scrunched up, as if he were thinking of something hard. "Ain't no guarantee of that, you bodiless entity."

"Let him go, whatever you are, darkness entity thing," Trey said.

"You foolish bookworm; I am Kip. You don't know anything about the true dangers of the world. You knowledge won't save you when you need it most. Your dreams are ridiculous and… shove off back into your dank little corner!"

After a few minutes of quiet, when they were just near him, Stacy asked, "Kip?"

"Yeah, I think I got it to just sit there and whine," he said in his normal voice. "Thanks and… I'm sorry. I lost control for a moment and would have hurt you all."

Stacy smiled. "It wasn't you, so…"

"It was me," Kip stated firmly. "The darkness… later, maybe." Sally picked out a Cheri Berry, but he said, "No, no, not yet. Let me just sit here quietly for a while and calm my mind down. I feel awful tired."

"You can nap for a bit, but we have no idea how much day we have left," Stacy told him. "Trey, Sally, why don't you forage around this level and look for more food and such? I'll protect Kip."

"Sure." The two of them took off to look around.

Thankfully, the dungeon was kind enough to stay in one form, not opening their camp meadow any more than it was. When Kip seemed to be better, they gave him the Cherri Berry, then they set off to find their way out of wherever they had gotten.

"This is probably the Deep Apple Woods," Trey said. "This would be where Bartleby's Perfect Apples come from."

"Why are they called Perfect Apples?" Kip asked. "They look like any old tummy filler apple to me."

"There is a difference, but one that only matters to gourmands like Munchlax and Snorlax, or apple connoisseurs like Bartleby. According to some books I've read, every food has a balance of things like starches and sugars. The starch-to-sugar ratio of the Perfect Apple is said to be, well, perfect. Sweet, but not cloyingly so, and crisp. But to most Pokemon, the difference isn't all that noticeable from really good regular Apples or Big Apples. And the Perfect Apple Tree is said to spend a full century without producing any apples whatsoever. Then, once it's over a hundred years old, it produces bushels and bushels of Perfect Apples." He looked around. "Thing is, Perfect Apple Trees tend to grow very deep in forests, so they require a long trek to reach."

"Do the stores stock them?" Stacy asked.

Trey shook his head. "No. It's a matter of profit, see. All shopowners need to make a profit. But as Perfect Apple Trees require long trips to reach, they're quite expensive. Even if the shopkeepers put them at the same price they were bought at, most customers would balk at paying over a 100 Poke for a food item that isn't enchanted to give boosts like Gummis, or has some other use like the status seeds. They would much rather buy the regular old 10 Poke Apple. So even if a shop had a regular customer for Perfect Apples, they would lose money keeping them fresh and in stock."

"That's quite a bit of fuss over a gourmet food item," Kip said.

"You wanna know what the biggest book I've ever read was?" Trey asked them. "It was a book written by a Snorlax called Chef who went on and on for over twenty-five pages just on the Oran Berry, without any of the recipes! People who love food really get into stuff like Perfect Apples and rare berry varieties like the Cornn."

"Huh." After swishing his tail, Kip got a huge grin. "Hey Trey…"

The Treecko looked at him, wary of the mischievious tone to his voice. "What?"

"I've been thinking… even though you're technically the weakest member of the group,"

"Only because all of you are more experienced," he insisted.

"Yeah. But you're good at sneak attacks and loads of info. Therefore, I dub thee the bookworm ninja!"

Stacy laughed. "Well that's suitable."

Trey gave Kip a skeptical look. "Kip, dubbing is used for knights. Not ninjas."

"Aw, now don't be picky, bookworm ninja Trey."

They went on through a few more levels, then found another explorer team. It consisted of a Skuntank, a Koffing, a Zubat, and a Ghastly. "Hey, are those the guys from Beach Cave?" Stacy asked quietly.

"I dunno," Trey said. "I'm not sure how to tell one 'bat from another."

"Hey, ya big lugs!" Kip called out. "Where in the blazing heck are we? Picked up a Portal Orb by accident."

"Ugh, don't you just hate those things?" Koffing asked, then going, "Heh heh."

"Hehehehe," Ghastly cackled.

"We're deep in the Apple Woods," the Stuntank said. "The exit ought to show up in a few levels."

"Well that's good," Stacy said. "Thank you."

"Well?" Zubat asked.

"Sure," Skuntank said. "Hey, you wanna see something neat? Double Noxious Attack!" Both Skuntank and Koffing let off a cloud of horrible yellow gases that made all of Team Marmalade gag. Sally wound up collapsing where she was, thankfully not landing on anyone.

"Whoa, watch out for the big one," Koffing said. "Heh heh."

"You both got 'em good," Zubat cheered, staying upwind of the attack.

"Eeehehehe," Gastly added, floating down and sniffing at Sally.

"Let's see if these weaklings managed to get anything." Skuntank took Stacy's bag and pulled out five Apples. "Ah, very nice and… hey, check this out!" He pulled out the Silver Acorn.

"Wow, now that's a treasure worth talking about," Koffing stated. "There's some old dude in Treasure Town who'll pay a small fortune for those Silver Acorns."

"Well then we deserve that, don't we?" He put the Apples and the Silver Acorn in his own Treasure Bag.

At that point, a little bell sounded. It sent green sparkles over Sally, Stacy, Trey, and Kip. Stacy quickly whipped up a fountain of water to sweep the noxious gas away. "Hey, that's our stuff!"

"Dang it, you're not supposed to recover!" Koffing shouted.

"Here, I gots them." Zubat pulled out an orb and threw it at them. A golden light surrounded them, then dropped them off in yet another part of Apple Woods. Hopefully. It looked the same. However, it had abruptly gotten dark.

"Pirate teams are the WORST!" Kip shouted into the woods.

"Is Sally okay?" Stacy asked, going over to their human teammate.

"She's still warm, but her breathing sounds bad," Trey said, putting his paw on her cheek.

"Wait, that mask thing… can we get that mask thing on her? That's what she did last time."

"Maybe." After searching her helmet, they found it hidden and were able to pull it out. Trey connected the tubes to the other side of the helmet; they softly clicked in place. Then a hiss of moving air could barely be heard. Her weird device was working.

"This is bad," Stacy said, stroking Sally's forehead. "Do you guys think we should call for a rescue?"

"You're the leader," Kip said. "Do what you like."

Trey rubbed his nose. "It'd look bad on us and they wouldn't show until tomorrow, but… well, we don't know where we are in this dungeon or when Sally will wake up. You'd better, just to be on the safe side."

"Right, that's what I was thinking too." She took out her leader's badge and slide a switch aside. That would send an SOS signal back to the guild.

They formed another camp. This clearing wasn't as good as the last, but Trey managed to find some medium sized rocks throughout the dungeon. He placed those across two of the three entrances to the large clearing they had appeared in. It would discourage wild Pokemon from entering.

By the time it was fully dark and night, Kip had managed to get a fire going near Sally. Trey kept his distance from the flames, but not too far. Sally woke up, then tried to sit up.

"You don't have to get up," Stacy said. "We're waiting on a rescue. How are you feeling?"

She patted her chest, then made a few signs.

"I didn't get that all," Trey said, "but her lungs are still bothering her, I think."

Sally nodded, then lay down again. She left her mask on.

"Those guys were a pirate team," Trey told her. "They stole a bunch of Apples and the Silver Acorn from us. Those cheaters."

"They're not far into darkness, but may be worse because they're not as influenced by it," Kip said. "It doesn't allow you to work with others well."

"What were you going to say earlier about darkness?" Trey asked. "You called it an entity, but then said it was you."

"It was me," he restated. "It was a part of me that I'd rather not have. It's a part of you that you'd rather not admit to having. I think all Pokemon have darkness within them. Probably humans too."

"But not every Pokemon is bad," Stacy said.

Kip looked into the fire. "It's the part of your mind that you keep restrained so that you don't hurt people. The selfish side of you that wants everything and would stop at nothing to get it, if not stopped by the rest of your heart and mind. The side of you that wants to take revenge through pain, or just to cause pain for no reason. Everyone has those thoughts and feelings from time to time, but to get along and be in peace, we don't act on them, don't speak of them, don't listen to them. But then the darkness can take over. It's due to the wild magic."

Stacy nodded. "The stuff that makes Mystery Dungeons and empowers them."

"Right. The wild magic encourages the darkness. I don't know why; I can't figure it out. But all the folks I knew had similar stories. The darkness came into control in a Mystery Dungeon, usually under stress or in presence of something the 'mon strongly desires. When you give in to your selfish side, you open yourself to the wild magic. That's why outlaws are reliably found in Mystery Dungeons; they are drawn there because they feel strongest, clearest, and best there.

"But you also lose things giving into darkness. You lose all feelings of security, as you are paranoid that someone will come after you, that someone will take your treasure, power, or whatever. You lose all feeling of peace, as the wild magic makes you crave noise, action, and fighting. You can lose memories or have them clouded; you can lose identity as the darkness and wild magic turns you into a completely different 'mon. And you lose all sense of friendship. Pokemon embracing the darkness never have friends, because they suspect everyone or try to get the best for themselves out of everyone. Like those four pirates. They helped us only because they were plotting to knock us out and take our treasures. Or at least all our Apples. Darkness makes you lose your sense too, because there's Apples all over this dang dungeon and the first thing they went after were our Apples."

"At least we're all okay," Stacy said. "I'm glad for that."

Trey was thinking. "Hey Kip… if you knew Heal Bell all along, why didn't you use it earlier?"

"Shhh!" he said, swishing his tail. "I try not to let my dark side know that, bookworm ninja."

From where she was, Sally laughed.

* * *

 

In the morning, Sally seemed a little off still. After some exchange with Trey, she related that her head felt light, but her lungs weren't hurting anymore. Stacy managed a trick with her Water Gun and a bottle to produce clean water they didn't need to hunt for, so gave her that until she said she was fine. They then waited and continued to talk.

Although it took a little while, Sally managed to relate a little story to Trey.

...

There was a pained scream of loss.

Sally opened her eyes. She found herself curled up in a white room, lying on a bed of straw. She didn't remember how she'd gotten here, just that scream and… something that terrified her to her core. Her thoughts tried to connect, but it seemed as though things were missing. As if everything was missing.

She saw a few devices on the table. After some struggle, she came up with what they were. A pair of hearing aids; the world was silent if they weren't in her ears. A master… master… something, that she wore on both forearms, around her waist, and on her feet. It did… something, something important. And there was a portable artificial lung and air purifier, which she needed to breathe.

She panicked for a moment, but then realized that she was breathing just fine without it. Something about the simple act of breathing seemed strange, and wonderful. But that clean air was still silent. She sat up and put the hearing aids in her ear. It seemed to be a comfortable action, something that she knew well. On sitting up, she was able to look out a window onto a bright sunny day. It was beautiful.

She heard a group of Pokemon coming into the room. She turned to see a Blissey and a Wigglytuff come in. "Oh, she's up, how wonderful," the Blissey said. "How are you feeling, dear?"

Her hands automatically came up and signed, "I am fine, thank you," without thinking that it might not be understood.

The Blissey didn't understand. "Can you speak?"

"She says she's fine, and thank you," the Wigglytuff said. "She speaks with her hands… isn't that interesting? I thought I wouldn't ever meet someone who actually spoke that way!"

She blushed, but had a feeling that she would like him.

...

"So that mask thing of yours cleans the air?" Stacy asked. When Sally nodded, she added, "That seems an odd thing to make. I wonder if it would work in a sandstorm."

"Probably," Trey said. "But I never thought the air could be so dirty that you'd need something on you always to clean it."

Sally shrugged. She didn't remember, but for some reason, she had it and had reason to use it a lot.

"Sounds like you're from a strange place," Kip stated. "Maybe it's smokey all the time."

"Could be," Trey agreed, grimacing at the thought of dirty ashy smoke.

"Eeek! Is that you Team Marmalade?!" a voice came through the trees.

"Flora, it's us!" Stacy called.

Flora the Sunflora and Bobby the Bidoof came into the opening, soon followed by Mika the Magnemite. "Oh golly, you've gotten yourself really lost," Bobby said. "This is way deeper in Apple Woods than I usually go."

"Is everyone okay?" Flora asked. "What happened?"

"Sally's still weak," Stacy said. "We encountered a pirate team that really got to her."

The Skitty gave her a questioning look, but said nothing.

"Oh my gosh, pirates?" Flora said, putting her leaf arms up to her flower head. "How awful. No wonder you had to call for help."

"Yeah. They stole the thing we were looking for and some Apples, but Kip managed to scare them off before they took everything. Still, we couldn't do much with Sally out."

"How has he been doing?" Mika asked, suspicious. "Causing any problems?"

"No, not at all," Stacy said.

"Thanks to his dungeon expertise, we were able to keep this area safe for the night," Trey added. "And if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have gotten the Silver Acorn in the first place. But that's what the pirates made off with, so it's a pity we don't have anything to show for his hard work."

"Really? I suppose that means he's improving." Mika blinked her one eye, then looked at Kip.

Kip stuck his nose in the air, although he felt bewildered that they weren't ratting him out. "Well I'll take any opportunity to show off."

"Are you okay with going on, Sally?" Flora asked. "We've got four more levels until the next exit point, but we've got enough people now to split up to search for the passage quicker.

"We already know where the next passage is," Bobby said, pointing down a path. "Except, um, the quickest path is blocked by rocks."

"We can move those," Trey said.

Sally nodded, so the group set off to leave the Deep Apple Woods.

Back in town, Mika left to make a report to the Sheriff. While Kip went with Sally to the hospital, just in case, Trey and Stacy went to meet with the client who asked for the Silver Acorn. She was a Gyarados who had one of the largest houses in Treasure Town. It was made up of giant pools with underwater furnishing and high domed ceilings that could be flown through. Silver Acorns were used as decorations in every room, although they were a scarce few, attesting to their rarity.

"We went into Apple Woods for a Silver Acorn, but lost it to a group of pirates. We're sorry."

"It happens. But I appreciate your sincerity and coming forth to apologize. Here, I'll give you a fraction of the reward." She handed over a thousand Poke.

Back at the guild, Stacy felt a temptation to keep the payment. But her heart told her it was wrong. And Kip seemed to suggest that it only took small slip-ups to invite the darkness to begin harassing you. So she handed off 900 Poke to Charlie as Guild dues.

"Did you happen to come across a Perfect Apple?" the Chatot asked, getting Bartleby's attention.

"Um, no," Stacy said, blushing. "We forgot all about it with the pirates and Sally passing out. So we failed at both."

"Yes, you failed enough to require a rescue," Charlie stated.

Bartleby tapped his assistant on the note crest that stood behind his head. "It's okay. Things like that happen. Right?"

He looked embarrassed at some thought. "Um, right."

The Guildmaster smiled. "But you had a generous client and your priorities to your teammate's safety were true. So one failure does not make you a total failure."

Stacy smiled back. "That's right. Thank you, Bartleby."

"I'm going after a Perfect Apple!" he then called in a sing-song voice, then bounded away down the ladder.

Charlie put a wing over his eyes. "Hmm, maybe I'll have to go after those Perfect Apples after all. I wish there was a shortcut, though."

* * *

 

The pirates, Team Skull, entered the house of the Gyarados. Skuntank showed the Silver Acorn to the mistress of the house. "We found this on an expedition recently, and thought immediately of you. Would you like it?"

"Hmm… it's a bit cracked and squashed."

"It will be unique in its imperfection," Skuntank stated, having expected this resistance. "True perfection does not exist, right?"

"Right. When did you get this?"

"Yesterday, in the Deep Apple Woods."

"Hmm… it is nice." She narrowed her yellow eyes. "But that means you were the pirates who harmed that sweet young team who came and apologized earlier. It is rare to find a group that apologizes."

Skuntank, Koffing, and Gastly felt worried. "Um, no, that must have been some other group," Koffing said.

"Right, and they didn't have a human," Zubat said, trying to help and failing spectacularly.

"Yeah right!" the lady Gyarados yelled, shaking the loose items in her house. She then called up a giant wave from her pools to sweep the pirates away.

* * *

 

That night, Kip and Trey knocked on the girl's bedroom. "Mind if we come in?"

"No, come on in." When they did, Stacy added, "Be quiet; my brothers are asleep in the next room already."

"Okay," Trey said. "Kip said he wanted to talk to you."

"Yeah." The Skitty closed the door, then asked, "Why'd you cover for me? I just about hurt you and I attacked Sally up in the tree."

"Well you lost control of yourself for a short while," Stacy said. "But you managed to snap yourself back before permanent harm was done."

"Aren't you afraid that I could do that again?"

"You could," she admitted. "But I believe that you'll try harder now to resist the darkness. And now I know to be more careful about putting you in a situation where temptation would be great. Besides, you're one of us. I don't want to see you get your freedom stolen away by being put back in prison."

"What freedom I have," he said sarcastically. Then he bowed his head. "But thanks, really. I… I haven't had any friends like you, who would take a risk on a loser like me."

"You're not a loser," Stacy said, patting him on the head.

"Yeah, you're not," Trey added. "And I meant what I said about your experience. Seriously, there's been many times lately where I think we would have gotten into a nasty mess if not for your observations and experience."

Sally smiled and scratched his head.

Kip gave a slight purr. "Heh. Just put me under more pressure to be good, right?"

Stacy giggled. "Right!"

The next morning, Stacy picked up a job from the post board. "'Please find my Persim Band; it has great sentimental value to me. I lost it somewhere in the Drenched Bluff.' That sounds important."

"That sounds stupid," Kip countered. "You could buy a dang Persim Band at the Kecleon shop! Why would you pay out three thousand Poke just to get back a sentimental Persim Band when you can pay eight hundred Poke for a shiny brand new one?"

"Let's take that one," Trey said, then added as a joke, "We know he won't steal that."

The group, even Kip, laughed.

* * *

 

Days passed. On a cool morning with a crisp autumn breeze, the daily meeting commenced with a note of expectation, excitement, and anxiety. "Today, we will announce those that will go on the big exploration trip with the Guildmaster and myself! We set out tomorrow, so you will have plenty of time today to get supplies and arrange things while you're gone. Please come forward if your name is called. Now, those coming are…" Charlie looked at the paper.

The apprentices all whispered. Who was going?

"We have… Flora."

"Oh my gosh, yay!" the Sunflora cheered, bounding up to join the Guldmaster and Charlie.

"And… Bobby."

"Golly, me?" the Bidoof asked, completely surprised. "Wow… I'll do my best."

"Go on," Chiaka encouraged, flicking her ribbon forward.

Bobby trembled. "Ooo, but I'm so excited… my legs have gone weak. I can't move right now."

"Right, well just stay where you are then." Charlie checked the paper. "And then Junior."

The Diglett came further out of the ground. "Really? I've never been on a trip."

"Me either," Bobby said.

"I'm sure you'll do well," Senior said, patting his son on the head.

"Okay, that's…"

"Not all!" Bartleby cheered.

"Oh, really? I thought we were only taking three. Oh, here's some notes. Phil, Chiaka, Mimen, Senior, Trey, Charles, Larry…"

"YIPPEE!" the Loudred cheered, causing everyone to wince or grab their ears.

Chiaka rang slightly in echo. "Oooo, not right in front of me…" she complained, letting her colored ribbon go limp.

Charlie shook his head to clear it. "Ahem. So that's… oh wait, Stacy, Sally, and Kip. Can Kip come along?"

"Sure thing," Bartleby said. "I talked with Mika and she said so long as he's with me, it's fine."

"I can live with that," Kip stated, curling his tail as he was pleased.

"But that's every one of the apprentices," Charlie added, after looking back at the paper. "Plus all of the staff."

"Yes!" the Wigglytuff cheered, jumping up happily.

"But is it okay to leave the guild empty for several days?"

"We'll lock up good and tight. We'll be laughing, and noisy, and exploring all over. This is going to be such fun that I got all excited thinking about it and I could barely sleep!"

"Ah yes, well… it wil require some plan changes if everyone's going… okay then, you all have the day to prepare. Be sure to prepare well, as the trek will be long and over difficult terrain."

"Where are we going?" Flora asked. "I have to know what to prepare in order to prepare."

"Good point. We're headed to Fogbound Lake. It is a mysterious place far to the east of here. However, the place is perpetually covered in dense fog, so no one has fully confirmed the existence of either an actual lake or a simple mirage. But the place is said to hold a magnificent and beautiful treasure. And be sure to prepare for cold weather. Time has decided that winter is approaching and we don't know if we'll encounter snow, hail, or ice."

"Isn't hail ice?" Kip pointed out.

"You know what I mean. So those of you sensitive to the cold, make sure you have fire starting equipment and things to keep warm with. We will discuss things further tonight so we can set out as early as possible tomorrow."

Everyone cheered and chatted excitedly as they set off to make preparations. Sally even overheard Senior and Junior talking. "Wow, I get to go on an exploration with you, Dad!" Junior said.

"That's great," Senior said. "I'm sure you'll do really well."

Sally smiled at that, then left with Trey to take care of business around town. "Do you think Cece the Chansey would mind watching my brothers for a few days?" Stacy asked the others.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Trey said, rolling his eyes. "But the thing is, would they mind? We might ask Kazza, or Casey."


	8. Foggy Winter Travels

The next day, the Guild members set out in three groups. Larry, Flora, Mimen, Senior, and Junior all headed out in one group. Bartleby, Charlie, Charles the Crogunk, Phil the Corphish, and Kip set out in another. And Stacy, Trey, Sally, Chiaka, and Bobby headed out in the last.

"I suppose we're to explore along the way too," Stacy said. "So who's going to be in charge of our group?"

"I'm just a staff member," Chiaka said with a jingle. "So I don't go out into dungeons a lot. I can hold my own, but I'd better not be the leader."

"Well then you're senior to us, Bobby," Stacy then said to the Bidoof.

"Oh, um, golly…" he shook his head. "Sorry, I've been working on my own so much, and when I go in groups, I'm never in charge. So I don't think I'd do well leading us."

"Looks like you're our leader then, Stacy," Trey said.

"Well, okay. Chiaka, Bobby, I want you to know that if Sally claps, she's spotted something and wants us to check it out, so just be aware of that. She does pretty well letting us know what she sees, but if you don't understand her, call for Trey."

Sally gave them a thumbs up, which seemed to be a signal for approval.

"All right," Chiaka agreed, along with Bobby.

"Okay, then let's head off!"

"Into yet another cave," Trey said in a cheerful joke. "There's an awful lot of those around, don'tcha think?"

Bobby smiled. "That is true. Seems like every cave and forest has attracted a Mystery Dungeon."

"This looks like Beach Cave," Chiaka noted. "But more rocky."

"And with more cliffs to drop off of," Stacy noted. They weren't as high as the ones at Drenched Bluff, but seemed more rugged and treacherous.

"This place is known as Craggy Coast," Trey said, having checked the Wonder Map. "If we follow this into the mountains, we should make it to the base camp."

Passing the slick and dangerous coastline, the group made its way into a mountainous region. Craggy Coast remained damp and wet the whole way. There were occasional rock falls; however, Chiaka noticed them before they started. So that no one got hurt, she would ring a warning if someone was near the area.

When they exited the dungeon, they found themselves walking along a mountain path. Trey checked the map again. "If we cross this mountain, we should have an easy road to the camp site from there. Trying to go around this one will end up taking us longer."

"It's pretty late, though," Stacy said. "If we tried to cross the mountain, night would fall."

"Probably by the time we hit the peak," Bobby noted. "And I'm getting hungry."

"Yeah, so am I. Well this spot seems fairly safe. Let's camp here for the night."

The group agreed and set up a campfire. "Thanks for using that Reviver Seed on me," Chiaka said. "I hope I've not been too much of a burden."

"Oh no, you're a good help," Stacy said with a smile. "Avoiding the rocks is something we usually only have split second warning for, not almost a minute."

The Chimecho smiled back. "It's no problem. I signed up as an apprentice like you guys. I wanted to be a great explorer like Bartleby someday. But I turned out to be not that good at it. The Guildmaster was kind enough to hire me as a telepath for rescue calls and incoming teleports. And then I get to come along on this wonderful trip. I'm so happy!" She chimed in emphasis.

"Me too," Bobby said. "I'm trying real hard to be a good explorer, but I was still surprised that I was one of the first to be called up for this. And it's so good of Bartleby to have invited everybody."

"Yeah, so no one was disappointed," Trey agreed. "Not even Kip."

"Are you doing okay, Sally?" Stacy asked.

The human nodded, brushing her white hair away from her face.

"I feel kind of bad sometimes," she went on, "because you can't join in on conversations like the rest of us, since you have to get your words translated."

"She says it's okay," Trey said. "So what have you been thinking of?"

Sally blushed and put her hand to her face. Then she started signing. "I have been wondering a lot about my past, where I came from and why I appeared out of nowhere on the beach. I also wonder about where the other humans live, and what they're like. Or why I'm here as the only human."

"There have been humans in these lands," Chiaka said. "But it was a very long time ago. Even the Pokemon that live hundreds of years haven't seen a human around here before you. People say that humans live in a distant land across the ocean."

"A few of their things show up from time to time in Mystery Dungeons," Trey said. "Like books, and magical devices like Link Boxes or your hearing aids. Maybe there was some accident in a dungeon of the human lands that brought you to Beach Cave."

"Do you remember anything before then?" Bobby asked.

Sally shook her head. She also signed, "Nothing."

"Golly. I would hate to lose my memory."

"True." Stacy looked at the others. "Well it's getting late and we ought to get to sleep so we can start out early tomorrow."

The group agreed to that. After setting up their two tents, the group split up to get some rest.

* * *

 

In the morning, they entered the dungeon that spread across Mount Horn. It was a lovely looking mountain, made of red sandstone that had hints of pink and yellow throughout. Low-lying bushes and vines grew out of cracks in the stone. Every now and then, there were little mountain streams and pools.

But as pretty as it was, it was a tricky dungeon to get through. Most of the ground was too loose or jagged to climb. There were trenchlike paths making up most of the dungeon, turning into long winding circles or deadends. There were few open rooms on Mount Horn. All the backtracking they were forced to do ate up a lot of the day.

Finally in the evening, they came off the other side and into a foggy valley. What they could see looked nice, a pleasant little forest area. But the fog denied them any details of distant objects. They could see an orange glow of a campfire. "That must be the campsite," Stacy said.

"Wow, we managed it and crossed Mount Horn!" Bobby said, sounding tired but excited.

"Yeah, that was some hike," Trey agreed.

When they got closer to camp, Charlie spotted them first. "You're late," he called. "We were worried about you."

"Sorry," Stacy said. "We passed through interesting places, though."

"Well come on by the fire; we're exchanging stories already."

Everyone seemed to have come by way of interesting Mystery Dungeons. Kip came over to his three teammates for the evening. "You know, after two days, I believe I prefer the Guildmaster's happy prattle over Charlie's insufferable know-it-all lectures. But there was certainly never a dull moment."

"Well that's good," Stacy said. "We missed having you along."

The Skitty settled down by them for dinner. "Charles is kind of a weird guy; he takes care of the cleaning when no one else is assigned to it, even though he's a part Poison Croagunk. Phil's a bit airheaded, though. I think every sentence of his has 'hey' in it somewhere. Speaking of that… hey Sally, what's on your mind?"

She looked startled, then shook her head and made a few signs. She was just lost in thought, that was all. However, something about this area struck her as familiar. The forest and lake hidden behind cool thick fog… it seemed like she should know something about this place.

Over dinner, everyone discussed the dungeons they had passed through and what lay ahead in the fog. "Many teams of all levels have come to investigate this area before," Charlie told the group. "But no one had managed to confirm the existence of the lake. Some groups have only heard the water while others say they found nothing at all."

"This icy fog might have something to do with that overall failure," Kip stated. "We're getting damp just sitting here."

"Yeah, you have no idea how hard it was to start this campfire," Larry said.

"I've heard of a legend of this area that explains why no one has ever been able to find the lake," Chiaka said, a bit shy.

"What is it?" Trey asked.

She bowed. "It's said that a legendary Pokemon named Uxie lives at this lake. He has a mysterious power in which, if you look into his eyes, he wipes your memories clean. So people may have found the lake, but then Uxie takes away their memories of it, and everything else with it."

"Now that's spooky," Larry said. "I don't know what I'd do if my memories were suddenly taken away from me."

"Oh, I don't think you'd have to worry about that," Flora teased him. "You're so forgetful all the time that you make me go eek!"

"HEY!"

"Chill out," Charlie said. "Mysterious places like this tend to draw mysterious legends. We don't know if this one is true."

"Because anyone who encounters it forgets about it almost immediately," Mimen noted.

"I still wouldn't worry about it," Charlie said. "Now when it comes to tomorrow, we will all split up to explore the forest. You staff members, Chiaka, Mimen, Charles, Senior, and Junior, you're welcome to go into the forest or stay behind in camp with the Guildmaster and myself as we collect reports about the area. We would appreciate if one of our Psychics stays behind, though."

"I don't mind staying behind," Chiaka said. "It's how I help best."

"Good, thank you."

"My son and I are going to explore the underground area," Senior said. "We know that some lakes are hidden underground."

"Good thinking. As for you apprentices, the forest around here has become a Mystery Dungeon, so explore it carefully. Take notes, either mentally or physically, and report back often. Your mission is twofold. First, we must find the lake. Second, there might be some way to lift this fog. It is always hanging over this region, so it seems magical. And if it's a magic fog, there might be a method to clear it away. I'm sure that if we all work together, we can solve the mystery of Fogbound Lake!"

Everyone cheered for this speech from Charlie.

"Everybody!" the Guildmaster called, "Make sure to keep warm tonight! It's gonna snow! Fun fun!"

A few apprentices, including Trey, groaned.

* * *

 

In the morning, there was an inch of snow on the ground. The groups had been reshuffled. Some, like Senior and Junior, went off in pairs. Others went to search on their own. As Kip had to stay behind with the Guildmaster, the other three members of Team Marmalade went together.

As they went deeper in the forest, the fog got deeper. The trees, mostly evergreens, were difficult to truly identify. The snow made it even worse, blending everything into a white blur. At one point, Stacy stopped. "Oh hey, look at this."

"What've you got?" Trey asked.

"It's a pretty red rock." She picked it up. "Wow, it feels warm."

The Treecko touched it. "Yeah. That's weird." He looked at the hole in the snow pack. "Maybe it kept the snow from forming over it."

"I think I'll take this. My brothers would be fascinated by it."

* * *

 

Back at camp, Bartleby came up to Kip. "Hey, want to go out and explore?"

He looked up from where he was lying down. "Aren't we supposed to watch over camp?"

"Yeah, but that's no fun. Come, let's find the source of this fog. Charlie won't be able to tell."

Kip smiled, got up, stretched, then nodded. "All right. Let's go."

* * *

 

Later, the fog got so deep that Sally knelt down. She signed something to Trey. "She says that she can't see us in this fog," Trey told Stacy.

"It's hard to see anything," Stacy replied. "I hear water, though."

Sally nodded, then offered to carry the other two so that she didn't step on them by accident. They spent a good fifteen minutes following the sound of water doing this. Then Sally stepped in a shallow pool of water. She stopped and put them down, remaining kneeling.

"This fog is horrible," Stacy said. "No wonder nobody can find this lake. But listen to all those waterfalls! There must be a cliff or something nearby. I wonder where."

"I think I see something ahead," Trey said.

In the thickest part of foggy forest, marsh, or something, Stacy, Trey, and Sally found a large statue of red stone. It seems like it had fallen over in the moist ground. It depicted a large bulky Pokemon with a fierce continence and long claws.

"Wow, I've never seen a Pokemon like this before," Stacy said, looking up at the statue's eyes.

"I've only seen it in pictures and books," Trey said. "This is the legendary Pokemon Groudon. He is said to be the shaper of the land, the master of Ground Pokemon."

"Like Junior and Senior? But what makes him legendary? I've heard of some amazing Pokemon."

"Legendary Pokemon are beyond amazing," Trey said in a hushed tone, enough that Sally had to lean in closer. "They are immortal, having been around since the beginning of the world. They have powers of such magnitude that the strongest of mortal Pokemon don't stand a chance against them in battle. At least, that's what the stories say."

Stacy put her paw onto her chin. "Huh. I've heard of them, but wasn't as interested as I was in tales of famous explorers."

Sally clapped her hands, pointing them to the side of the statue. There was an engraving there.

"Oh, that's footprint runes," Trey said. "Let me see… 'Reignite the life that burned within Groudon. Then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat. The path to treasure shall be revealed.' What's that mean?"

"You're the smart one," Stacy pointed out.

"Well yes, but…"

"It at least confirms that there's some treasure here," Stacy said. "I'm not sure how to bring a statue to life, though."

"Sky shall blaze…" Trey murmured. "There was something about Groudon that connected him to the sun too. I don't quite remember."

Stacy considered it. "It's a statue so it probably wasn't alive… hey wait, Sally! I don't like how it hurts you, but do you think you might see something if you touch it?"

She shrugged and signed something. "She says maybe. I have noticed that sometimes she tries to trigger the visions, but they don't happen."

Still, Sally placed her hands on Groudon's arm. Her eyes unfocused, then she grimaced as she tried not to react so much to the pain. Recovering faster than before, she then showed them both what she had seen. Or rather, heard, as no images came through.

It was a friendly voice, but one they didn't recognize. "So you put the Drought Stone in the slot where Groudon's heart would be… and that clears the fog!"

Static.

"That's right. Good work, partner."

The three looked at each other. "That was just a voice this time," Stacy said. "But, the Drought Stone?"

"What about that rock you picked up earlier?" Trey said. "It was odd that it would just be lying around, but it's red like this statue."

"You're right. I wanted it for my brothers… I can always find another rock. Okay, here it goes." Sally pulled out the warm red stone she had found and looked over the front. In between Groudon's arms, there was a slot that the stone seemed a perfect fit for. She placed it inside.

The stone glowed brilliant red, like a puddle of bright lava. Groudon's eyes lit up in the same manner. All of a sudden, it grew a lot warmer, with incredibly intense sunlight. It was the sort of light one expected in a summer's desert, not a winter's forest. The snow falling through the fog turned into rain, which swept the fog away. It revealed a beautiful meadow in the middle of the area.

* * *

 

Some distance away, Kip winced as the foggy snowy weather turned to rain. "Ah rock smash," he grumbled. "Now all the snow's gonna melt and make the ground muddy."

"Wow!" Bartleby called. "Look at that!"

"At what?" Kip looked around, but the Wigglytuff seemed to be pointing to a tree. "Um, that's a big tree."

"It's a Perfect Apple Tree!" Wigglytuff declared, rushing over and leaping into the branches. The bright ruby red apples bounced as he came towards them. "I didn't knew they grew here!" he called down, before happily taking one and munching on it.

Once Perfect Apple came loose and fell off. Kip caught it before it hit the ground. Curious, he took a bite out of it. There were plenty of other apples in the tree to satisfy the Guildmaster. "This is pretty good," he said. It was a nice mix of sweetness, tartness, and crispness. Still, Kip didn't see how it was that much different, or preferable, to the more common Apples that grew everywhere.

"They're the best!" Bartleby called cheerfully.

He looked around, wondering if wild Pokemon would be riled up by them being there. However, the thing he saw was much more curious. "Hey Bartleby… check that out!"

* * *

 

Back by the Groudon statue, the trio from Marmalade were in awe of the sight before them. There were waterfalls spilling all around, despite there being no cliffs. At least, no cliffs on the ground right next to them. Farther in, there was a column of stone, with spread out amazingly into a shape like an urn. The urn stone island went higher and higher into the sky, until it came out on a flat area high above the rest of the landscape.

At the narrow part of the strange island, there was a rock tunnel that appeared to lead up into the middle of the urn island. The entrance had a feel of wild magic, of a Mystery Dungeon. That was the path up to the top. Vents puff out giant plumes of steam. The bright pools nearby bubbled with heat, colored in such ways that should not have existed naturally.

"Wow," Trey said. "No wonder nobody could find Fogbound Lake. The lake is way up in the sky!"

"This tunnel should lead up to the lake," Stacy said. "I'm sure the others can find this island now that the fog is gone; it's kind of unmistakable. Let's go on ahead."

With agreement from the other two, they went up into the tunnel. Sally noted that the two Pokemon were eager to explore a new and strange place. As for herself, she still felt like it was all much too familiar. Did it have something to do with Uxie, if the legendary Pokemon lived here?

The dungeon inside was hot, humid, and sticky. Even the dark rocks seemed to sweat. The three took it easy. Stacy was worried about her human teammate. As a Squirtle, she could handle the humidity, and Trey would be okay so long as it didn't get much hotter. But Sally's armored skin was made of steel. But the occasional time she touched Sally or the human touched her, her skin didn't seem that hot. Maybe it had some protection against the heat.

They finally got out of the steamy tunnels and into open clear air. It was a large opening of gray granite. Past the opening, there was a staircase that led up to what presumably was the lakebed. "Phew, we're out of that sauna," Trey said, wiping his forehead. "And look how high up we are! It doesn't seem like we climbed that far."

"But we must have. The lake must be just ahead. Let's go… Sally? What is it? I've noticed you've gotten distracted the past couple of days."

She knelt down and made a few signs. "She has a strange feeling that she's been here before," Trey said. "Hey, you know what Chiaka was talking about last night? About how it's rumored that a powerful Pokemon named Uxie lives here?"

"Oh yeah, the one that erases memories." She looked up at Sally. "I wonder if maybe you encountered him, and that's why you don't remember anything."

She shrugged, but looked lost again.

"Then the thing to do is go up and see if we can find Uxie," Trey said. "We can ask him."

"Hold it," a distant and deep voice called.

"Huh?" They looked around. Stacy called, "Who is it?"

The ground shivered. Then, something jumped down into the opening, creating a tremendous tremble in the ground, as if there were an earthquake. Standing in front of them was Groudon. Not a statue, not an image, but the real legendary Pokemon Groudon towering over the two Pokemon and even the human. Trey glanced back, but a rock had fallen across the entrance to the steam caves. The openings led to falls too far to survive, and none of them could fly. They were trapped.

"I am the guardian of the lake," Groudon said. "No one is to trespass here. Those who dare to do so," he stomped a foot down, causing another tremendous tremor, "will be punished severely."

"We, we didn't know about that," Stacy said. "We were just exploring the area, and…"

"Prepare yourselves!" Then he came closer to them.

It was a tough fight, but Stacy and Trey managed to harm the Ground master with Mega Drain and Water Gun. When Groudon struck, it was hard. Even Sally looked to be wearing down after a few punches from the large beast. But against all odds and expectations, they won.

However, Groudon simply vanished in an explosion of light. "What happened?" Trey asked. "Where'd Groudon go?"

"That was not Groudon," a different male voice said. It wasn't quite as deep and earthy; it sounded almost like the librarian Alakazam's voice, old and knowledgeable.

"Who are you?" Stacy asked.

"I am the Guardian of the lake, as I said. I am Uxie." A small Pokemon then appeared before them, with a body smaller than that of Stacy and Trey. "That Groudon was an illusion of mine, at a fraction of the power of the real thing."

But that was a really tough fight, Stacy thought. Trey must have been right about the power of legendary Pokemon. "We're an explorer team, Team Marmalade.. at least, most of us. We just came to explore and see what was here."

"Is that so?" Uxie asked.

"YOOM-TAH!" A voice came from the tunnel as the rock blocking it was bashed into a million pieces. Bartleby and Kip showed up. "We have made it almost to the top!" And the Guildmaster had somehow managed the climb through Steam Cave with a Perfect Apple on his head. Condensation beaded off the fruit's red skin.

"Frickin' gravelrocks," Kip grumbled. "Am I glad to be out of that cave oven."

"Um, and that would be our other member and the Guildmaster, Bartleby," Stacy added. "Guys, this is, um, Uxie."

"Oo, really?" Bartleby cheered. "How wonderful to meet you!"

"And you're just exploring?" Uxie asked.

"Yup, yup!" the Guildmaster said. "Here to see the many wonders of the world, solve its mysteries, and find some treasures. Oo, and the forest below is sooo pretty when the fog clears up. I even found a Perfect Apple Tree!"

"But um," Stacy added, "we don't mind leaving without any treasure, so long as we find out what's here."

The pixie Pokemon flicked his two tails, then gazed over them with his closed eyes. "Well, I sense no hostility from any of you. I'll trust you for the time being. Come with me; I'll escort you up to Fogbound Lake." He floated up the stairs.

"No hostility, huh," Trey said cheekily, nudging Kip.

"That cave was hid-e-ous," the Skitty moaned. "I'm so exhausted of that humidity that I can't bear to think of going back down in. I just want a nap."

After going up the stairs, they came upon an amazing sight. Under a deep starry sky, a large glittering lake lay on top of the urn rock island. Native Illumise and Volbeats flew around, adding their own blinking lights to the natural light show. And far off in the middle of the lake, there was a dome of glowing blue-green light.

The group came onto a rocky outlook that stood a bit over the lake's surface. Even Kip, who had seen a great many fantastic things and jeered at them, was caught up in the glorious spectacle. After a few quiet moments, Trey couldn't help but ask, "How does so much water get all the way up here?"

"There's a geothermal spring below this place," Uxie replied. "Every day, the geyser shoots up multiple times, bringing the waters up to this height. It then spills back over and, while some of it does escape, most of it drains back below, where the cycle begins again. It would be beginning soon if we wait a moment."

True to his word, the middle of the lake began to tremble, then burst into a twenty foot fountain of water. It shot through the dome of light, so the glow moved up through the incoming water, giving the geyser a rainbow-hued shine. "Now that's a real treasure that you can only take with your memory," Bartleby said.

"Yes, but I can't allow visitors to remember this place," Uxie stated. He pointed out towards the middle of the lake. "That glow there… that comes from a Time Gear."

"A Time Gear?" Stacy asked.

"The Time Gears are artifacts made of wild magic," Trey explained. "I don't really understand what exactly they do, but they are said to conduct time. When one is taken from a place where it is hidden, all time grinds to a halt. Everything comes to a standstill."

"That is so," Uxie said. "And I've been asked to keep watch over this Time Gear. Therefore, I put it in the lake most precious to me."

"Do the Time Gears have anything to do with the current instability of time?" Stacy asked. "Because it's been wintery over this trip while I'm certain that it was summery a month ago."

He was quiet for a moment. "I'm afraid to admit it, but I'm not certain why time has been fraying. Things have been… quiet. I've noticed that the glow has brightened as the Time Gear works harder to keep things running properly. It's got me worried, but nothing has shown up as a source of true concern. So I'm not sure what to do except continue to make sure that this Gear is safe."

"If that's the case, then we won't tell anybody about this place," Bartleby said.

"You won't?" Uxie asked in a neutral tone.

"Yes, we promise," Stacy said. "Right, everyone?" Although she asked of the group, she looked at Kip.

Trey, Sally, and Bartleby all agreed. Kip swished his tail. "Well why would I want to share such a beautiful treasure, even if only in memory? I can't keep any physical treasures."

He considered them again, then nodded. "I feel that I can trust you with that. All right. Besides, you're explorers. You would be best for coming up with something that will keep other explorers from poking their noses around here. And if I did erase your memories, you would come back to figure out why."

"Oh and…" Stacy blushed, "Sorry about asking so many questions, but…"

"It's fine," Uxie said with a small smile. "Questions are good."

"Well, I was wondering if Sally here has ever come to your lake. She doesn't remember anything beyond a certain point, so have you met her before?"

"This human?" He shook his head. "No. It has been an extraordinarily long time since any humans have come to this lake. It's such a pity. Humans were always finding such intriguing knowledge."

"But you cause amnesia," Trey pointed out.

"I only take the memories of this lake away," Uxie told them. "Although that is one of my powers… memories are precious things, and I would much rather not destroy them. But my duty to the Time Gear is more important. No, I feel that her memories were caused by a completely different power. I can't identify what exactly, but those memories seemed to be wrecked rather than erased. It would take a miracle to restore them."

Sally gave a sign of acceptance but she was still quite distracted. As if she knew the place, but couldn't place it. She watched the glow of the Time Gear mostly. It made her feel some kind of anticipation, anxiety, and grave importance. However, she couldn't remember why it was of such grave importance.

When they got back to the campsite, Charlie met with them. "Where have you all been? Especially you, Bartle? We've been waiting on you to return."

"I went exploring with Kip!" Bartleby said. "It was fun. He makes funny comments."

Kip twitched his tail. "Uh-huh. I don't know if you're an idiot or a genius now."

Bartleby laughed. "See?"

"So where were you?" Charlie asked.

"Eek, the fog and the cold is returning," Flora said, shivering. "I hope it doesn't snow tonight."

"We saw a GREAT big rock sitting on top of a few tiny columns!" Larry said. "But we came back because it suddenly turned to night."

"We went up onto that rock," Stacy said, wondering what she should say next.

"And that was a torturous waste of time," Kip said, seeming completely disgruntled. "Ugh, I never want to go back in there again."

"There wasn't anything up there," Bartleby said.

"Nothing?" Charlie asked, surprised. "But there was water coming off the big urn rock."

"Just a big lake," he said. "No treasure, no statues, no nothing." He looked quite disappointed. "But we had fun on the way, right?"

"Kind of," Trey said, while Kip blew a raspberry.

"And, I found a Perfect Apple Tree here in the forest! So the best treasure is that!"

Charlie put his wing over his eyes. "Well I suppose the trip is as important as the goal, no matter how disappointing. All well, we have to head back to Treasure Town tomorrow then."

In the morning, the meadow was completely fogged up again. And coated in three inches of snow.


	9. Family and Foes

When they returned to the guild, life went back into the comfortable routine (save for the usual morning grandstanding by Larry the Loudred). Although Kip was considered to be improving, he declined being offered his own Treasure Bag for the time being. He still felt that it was a weakness through which the darkness could attack, so he wanted to avoid the temptation. But the other three members of Team Marmalade noticed that he was putting more effort into being less of a liability.

In fact, he was the one who came up with the day's job. "I found it slipped off the Job Board," he told Stacy.

She took the paper. "Okay, let's see… 'My little sister is badly ill and the hospital has run out of options to save her. Except one thing; Dr. Blissa says that a Gabite Scale can cure her disease. But Gabites only live in Labyrinth Cave, which is much too hard of a dungeon for me to go in. Could a rescue team please help us?' Aw, that's so sad."

Kip nudged Trey. "I knew she'd take it like a sucker," he whispered.

"Kip, Gabites are extremely strong Pokemon," Trey told him, worried. "They're one of the Dragons that live away from normal Pokemon society because they are so powerful. It's good they respect us like that, so most Pokemon respect them by not going and bugging them."

"Are you gonna turn down a sick little girl for that reason?" Kip teased him.

Trey made an embarrassed flick of his tail. "Well, no. But we'd better be really prepared today. Besides, Labyrinth Cave by itself sounds difficult. Have you ever been in there?"

The Skitty twitched his ears. "Actually… no. It always sounded like a killer dungeon with no big reward unless you really needed a Gabite Scale."

Sally made a few signs; she was able to make them quicker, as Trey was getting better at translating. "Let's go for that one," she signed.

Labyrinth Cave consisted of long winding tunnels with many forks leading to dead end rooms, or just plain dead ends. It turned out that Gabites weren't the only tough Pokemon living there, as the group encountered many powerful opponents. The dungeon was kind enough to supply them with more healing Oran Berries, but they were still running low on supplies by the time they reached the bottom of the cave where the Gabites lived.

In the darkness, they found one of the mighty Dragons there. She was four and a half feet tall and seemed to have many muscles in her streamlined form. "What are you fools doing here?" she asked, smirking.

Stacy felt her heart flutter, but she thought of the sick girl they were trying to help. That and the backup of her teammates gave her enough courage to say, "We came to get a Gabite Scale, and we'll challenge you if we must to get one."

The Gabite seemed amused at that. "Really, that's it? Well sure, I'm always up for a challenge. But, it seems to me that you have more than a fair advantage in sheer numbers. Care to take me on with only one of you?"

One? Stacy glanced around. The other three seemed up for the challenge. "Okay, we'll agree to that."

"Excellent. Now… that creature there," she pointed to Sally.

"She's a human, not a Pokemon," Trey said.

The Gabite came up to them. Despite being a big and muscular creature, she was fast on her feet. "A human, really? I thought they were only myth, fairy tales. It is said that they can make amazing things that don't depend on wild magic for power. It is also said that they are capable of great destruction, as with those devices, even the weakest of humans could destroy an entire mountain in one blow."

She made a few signs, so Trey said, "She says that she wouldn't know anything about that."

"Huh. I'll take this human on."

Sally nodded and signed her acceptance. Stacy wondered about the Gabite's words. Humans could destroy an entire mountain in one blow, even if they were too weak to lift a small stone? It seemed to fit, though, with what she had seen. Sally was quite powerful in her armored skin. She had seen her knock out a Machoke in a fistfight that, even though she looked winded and achy at the end, her second skin showed only a few dents which vanished by the next day. Despite that, she was very weak to Poison or any gas and pollen based attacks. One of her most common problems was breathing in something bad and being unable to do anything for several minutes until her mask thing cleared up the bad particles.

Sally and the Gabite first tried to tackle each other, but wound up locked in with equal power. The Gabite tried to break it by sweeping her tail under Sally's feet; she had to let go and tumble aside to avoid being badly hurt. Then, the Gabite showed off her speed by trying various times to knock the taller human down. Sally managed to get in a good kick once, but mostly had to dodge and even then she wasn't always fast enough. The Gabite then dug into the ground. Sally paused, seeming quite cautious.

Stacy was amazed at how well the Gabite dug. Once she was completely under, not a trace of the hole she had made showed on the surface of the ground. She recalled seeing a Dig TM at the Kecleon shop a few times. Perhaps that skill instructed one on how to move dirt that efficiently. Still, Sally was able to feel the ground underneath her move in time to step out of the way and sweep her arm into the Gabite as she tried to attack in coming up. But, too fast for Stacy to see, the Dragon had managed to catch Sally's arm and block it.

Then, the Gabite chuckled. "Well, that was certainly impressive. I suppose humans are as strange as is said. All right." She brushed her hand across her side and came up with a blue-gray scale. "I'll give to this you on one condition: that you walk along the right side of the wall to the warp panel that leads to the exit."

"Why the right?" Trey asked.

"Because I have an egg on the left and if you get near it, I will kill you."

"Oh, we see," Stacy said. "Well then we're sorry to disturb you."

The Gabite chuckled. "It was an entertaining distraction, really."

They did as instructed, walking along the right side of the wall to where the mysterious warp panel was sitting on the floor. The Gabite then handed them her scale with a warning to not return to the Mystery Dungeon for another month. Or else.

Back in Treasure Town, they went straight to the hospital to deliver the Gabite Scale. "Oh, this will do marvelously," Dr. Blissa said, taking the Gabite Scale cheerily. "I will get it prepared and given to the patient straight away." She went back into her workroom.

The Buizel who had posted the notice smiled at them. "Thank you so much for getting it. I'm afraid I don't have much to give you in reward; our parents have been away for a long time."

"It's okay," Stacy said. "We know how important family is."

"I'll give you this, though. It would come in more use for an explorer than the two of us." He handed them a small round device, like a disc of a little bit of depth. It had an arrow on a dial that was labeled with various letters.

"What is it?" Stacy asked.

The Buizel shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not sure what it is. But the arrow thing doesn't move, no matter how you spin the disc."

Sally clapped her hands, then signed something. Trey concentrated on it. "Compass? What's a compass?"

She tapped the disc, then tried to explain it. "That arrow always points north," she signed. "So if you hold it like this," she took the compass and put it flat on her hand, parallel to the ground. Then she handed it back to Stacy. "Then you can always tell which direction you are facing."

"Oh, so it's saying that I'm facing east now," Stacy said. "Is a compass a human device?"

"I guess so." She paused, then added, "It tends not to work right around strong magnets and electrical sources. Sheriff Magnezone would mess it up."

"Well it would keep us from wandering around in circles in the really active dungeons," Trey said. "Thanks."

The Buizel nodded. "I'm just glad that my sister will be okay. I found it on the beach one day; I didn't imagine that it would be a human device, though."

As they left the hospital, they noticed that they had some time left in the day. "I'm going to do some shopping," Trey said. "I've picked up several TM disks that I can't use or don't seem all that good. I'm gonna look into that trade shop."

"The trade shop, huh?" Kip asked. "Mind if I tag along?"

"You don't have any funds to buy anything," Stacy said.

"Well duh. But I know the owner; it's been a while since I've spoken with her."

"That's fine by me," Trey said. "Just don't go wandering off."

He snickered. "Yeah, like I'm gonna mess up my streak of good behavior and make my sparky parole officer mad."

The two guys went to where the specialty shops were, to a building with triangular ears and a gold disc on the front. The trade shop was unusual, as the Meowth owner had her wares on display in cases by her small desk. "Well good evening…" the Meowth started, then stopped. "Kip?"

"That's right, Mindy," Kip said. "Been a while, huh?"

She looked annoyed. "Right. I was starting to wonder where you ran off to instead of being just mad."

"I'm doing public service," he said as Trey started looking over the TMs on display. "I'm part of the Explorer's Guild now."

"Oh." Her ears twisted back. "You are?"

"Right. Hey, whatcha got in back?" Kip skipped into the building without permission.

Mindy followed him. "Now, now you know that I don't do anything wrong," she stated nervously. "My business is legitimate."

He smirked. "Yeah, but your suppliers are another matter. You can still get arrested for that, you know. Did you see that young guy with me?"

She lowered her voice. "The Treecko?"

"He's a lover of justice and such. I know you've got a mess in trying to compete against the Kecleon giants in business. But he might not be so understanding."

"What do you want?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"This might come as a surprise, but don't you dare cheat him. Give him a good deal or I will treat it as if you cheated me." He tilted his ears back. "And you know what I do to people who cheat me."

"Are you trying to go clean or not?" she asked, confused.

"That's for me to know, not you." He strutted back outside. "Find anything good?"

"Maybe," he said, although his tone indicated that he wasn't finding much. "What's this Secret Power?"

Mindy the Meowth came back out. "That's an attack that draws on the power of the land…" she glanced at Kip, then added, "which means if you're in a grassy place, you'll get a Grass type attack."

"But Grass types live in grassy places," Trey pointed out. "You'd have a hard time getting an effective attack with this."

"True," she admitted reluctantly. She was used to pushing anything a customer showed the slightest interest in. But with the Skitty watching carefully… she went back inside and came out with another TM. "Here, this one might be more suitable for you."

"Hmm?" Trey took it. "Bullet Seed?"

"It's a nice one. It fires two to five attacks at a distance for a decent power. The accuracy leaves something to be desired, although you hear of clever fighters who manipulate it, sacrificing the multiple attacks for one accurate shot as necessary."

"And it's same type damage too," Trey mumbled to himself. "Okay, I've got three others to trade it for this one."

"Let me check their values." They arranged the deal to the satisfaction of all three Pokemon.

"Thanks a lot, Mindy!" Kip called, holding his tail high.

"Yeah… see you around, I guess."

"She didn't seem too happy to see you," Trey noted as they went back to the Guild building.

"Eh, we had a falling out," Kip replied. "That's the past, though. I'm all for living in the present."

At dinner time, Charlie called for attention. "Excuse me, but we have an announcement to make. Something terrible has happened. A Time Gear was stolen from Treeshroud Forest."

"A Time Gear stolen?" Trey asked shocked, along with nearly everyone else.

"Oh my gosh, aren't those the really powerful artifacts that keep time running?" Flora asked, putting her leaves up to her flower head. "What happened to all the Pokemon in the forest?'

"A few witnesses escaped, but all the rest," the Chatot shook his head. "They're frozen in time, along with the rest of the forest."

"But who would have done such a crazy thing?" the Guild recorder Mimen asked. "Most everyone knows how important it is that they stay where they are, especially in these days when time is running amok."

"No one knows yet," Charlie said. "But as explorer teams, we should keep alert to any clues or suspicious characters in Mystery Dungeons."

After dinner, Team Marmalade came to Bartleby. "Do you think Uxie is going to be okay?" Stacy asked.

"He might be a target," the Wigglytuff admitted. "But that would require someone knowing that one is there. And we haven't told anything, right?"

"Of course not," Trey said, to the agreement of the others. "We made a promise. And besides, Kip was with us all day."

"Hmph," the Skitty said, turning his attention to his claws. "It would be madness to steal those things and I'm no longer that mad."

"Besides, he can make a convincing illusion of a legendary Pokemon," Bartleby added. "Illusions are always a fraction of the power of the illusionist. So, Uxie can take care of himself."

"That's right. Still, I hope someone catches that thief soon."

* * *

 

Kip skipped over from the Outlaw board. "Hey, wanna see a place that's a real trick to get through? Here."

"A real trick?" Stacy scanned over the paper. "From: Magnezone Bailey Outlaw: Bloody Claw the Sneasel' Eww, Bloody Claw? 'Location: Poison Rose Marsh Crimes: theft, kidnapping, suspected murder, aggressive assault, breaking out of prison. He was sentenced to death, but escaped for the tenth time. Stop this villain by any means necessary.' Hey, this is rated S. We haven't done anything this difficult before and you say this place is a real trick?"

"The trick is to bring enough Pecha Berries because it's so poisonous. Or," he showed off his modified Pecha Scarf, "avoid being poisoned altogether."

"I suppose the fact that nobody can evolve thanks to time breaking down would help us; it's not like we're going to be running into a Weavile. And we've been doing all right with the few A ranked jobs we've done."

"I've got two Pecha Scarves in storage," Trey said. "So let's do this."

Stacy looked at him. "Trey? You seem more serious than usual."

"I think I've run into this Bloody Claw before, but… well, that's an old story."

That almost decided it, but Stacy wanted to be certain for this difficult of a job. "What about you, Sally? You always have trouble with poisons."

She tapped her face. She would just wear her mask for the whole trip instead of waiting for an attack to hit her.

"Okay… no one else has taken it, so let's give it a shot."

They went to Poison Rose Marsh. It was a damp soggy place; Sally had to constantly look out for rocks and solid bits of land for footing. The hedges of this dungeon were low lying rose bushes. Obscenely thorny roses, with some thorns as long as Sally's outstretched hand. And the waters were murky and off-colored. They even smelled sickly and poisonous. Thus, they ran into many Poison Pokemon in the marsh.

Trey was carefully jumping around the thorny bushes and soggy pits. "You seem to be familiar with this place," Kip noted.

"I was born here," Trey told them.

"In this place?" Stacy asked. "It doesn't seem welcoming to a pure Grass type."

"I know. Mom was a Nidorina, so she was able to keep me safe, mostly."

"What about your dad?"

"Well due to the way family trees work, he had to have been a Treecko or Grovyle, or maybe even a Sceptile. But I never saw him, or any of my kind."

They continued on until they came to a large opening in the dungeon. Some darker waters indicated boggy pits, but most of the water seemed shallow. There, they encountered an odd Pokemon for this dungeon: a Sneasel. Near one of the deeper pits, he was running his claws along the marsh's surface.

"Hey, ye olde Bloody Claw!" Kip shouted out. "We're here to challenge you!"

"Oh, they thinks they want a battles, eh? They thinks like fools. We shall show…" he stopped abruptly, and turned around. After spotting Trey, he glared and hissed with intense hatred. "You!"

"Yes, it's me," Trey said, clenching his paws also in great anger.

Bloody Claw growled low, like a primal beast. "You… you gots away. No one escapes Bloody Claw. NO ONE!" He screamed sharply.

At his scream, three more Pokemon appeared: a Muk, a Roserade, and a Venomoth. They did not seem like normal Pokemon. Their eyes were wild with madness and they went straight into attacking Team Marmalade like berserkers. And Bloody Claw darted forward as quick as a bolt, grabbed Trey, and leapt with him clear across the open marsh to crash into a poisonous marsh.

Stacy was worried; did he still have that Pecha Scarf? She could only hope so. "Kip, get the Roserade!" she shouted. "Sally, you take the Venomoth." She then faced off against the Muk.

It was a rough battle, but given all the Toxic Spikes and Poison Stings that were flying about, it was good that they had all taken protection from Poison for this job. Once the three berserkers were unconscious, they went to check on Trey. He was still struggling against the Sneasel, having taken a great many gashes across his body. But his Pecha Scarf was on, if muddied and tattered. He took heavy hits from Bloody Claw's Ice Shard attacks, but was dealing equally strong damage with Bullet Seed. Finally, Trey knocked Bloody Claw out. However, he seemed overwhelmed with anger, as he tried to attack again, to completely finish him.

Kip raced forward and tackled him in the gut. "Stop it, you moron!"

Trey furiously kicked him away. "He killed my mother!"

Now coated in marsh mud, the Skitty managed to get himself upright in order to hiss at him. "But you can't kill him! We're in a Mystery Dungeon! You do that and the wild magic will overtake you with darkness, turning you into the very same killer that Bloody Claw is. That is not the way to take revenge for your mother."

"Besides, you look awful," Stacy said. "We should leave this place."

"B-but…" Trey seemed to realize how exhausted and injured he was finally, and passed out.

Later, Stacy, Sally, and Kip met with Bailey. "Yes, the others were wanted outlaws as well, from some time ago," the Sheriff told them. "We thank you greatly for bringing all four in."

"What are you going to do with them?" Stacy asked.

"They're irredeemable at this point," Kip said. "Nothing's gonna work on them."

"Right. So unfortunately, the only thing that can stop them is to kill them. Don't worry; we make certain that the executions are swift and painless."

"All right, if that's what needs to be done," Stacy said, still a bit guilty.

"But you performed remarkably once again. Here, take this vitamin drink set. It will do you all good." He passed over a box with three bottles in it. "I don't think it works on humans, though."

After that, they went to the hospital where Trey was. "He managed to get poisoned despite the Pecha Scarf," Dr. Blissa said. "And his injuries are very bad, so he'll have to be here for three days. But he should recover just fine."

"Can we visit him?" Stacy asked.

"Not right now; he'll be sleeping mostly for the next couple of days. I'll send a message when he does gain alertness."

"All right. Thank you for caring for him."

"It's no trouble. He's like one of the grandkids since my daughter raised him for a while."

* * *

 

The next few days, they went on simpler missions. It didn't feel right without Trey. They could always count on him to sneak up walls or trees, then drop down on a foe unexpectedly. He preferred to be stealthy which, with a tall human in bright green armor and a small Skitty that shouted various insults at enemies, it was easy to be stealthy in comparison. So it was different not to have his sneak attacks to back up their own with.

Finally on the third day, they went in to visit him after coming back from a job. "It's a bore without your ninja tactics along the way," Kip complained.

Trey smiled a bit. "Still haven't met any ninjas, though. I gotta keep working on that."

"They've found that another Time Gear has gone missing," Stacy said. "It was in a place called Limestone Cavern."

"That doesn't look good for our friend…" he said.

Sally signed something.

"Oh good." He frowned. "I suppose."

"What?" Stacy asked.

"She said that Bloody Claw is dead now. I still feel like I should have killed him."

"That's not so," Kip said, serious.

"I know," Trey grumbled. "And he's ruined a lot more lives than just mine. But I started this to stop him and others like him."

"You did," Stacy said. "He's not going to hurt anyone now."

"Yeah… I guess I should accept that."

"And I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you lost to the darkness."

Later on, when the guys were in their room, Kip came over to Trey's bed. "The darkness is whispering to you, huh?"

"How'd you know?" he asked, not getting up.

"I know it. So what's it telling you?"

Trey closed his eyes. "It wants me to do something to you, maybe even kill you, for stopping me back there. Or go after the next outlaw without holding back. It's very convincing. I wouldn't know it as darkness if I hadn't heard you talking about it."

"It is charming. We'll have to tell Stacy to avoid the outlaw board for a while." Something thumped by Trey's bed. "Well here. I had to talk Mika into letting me borrow it and then I had to drag the dang thing all the way back here."

The Treecko opened his eyes and sat up. There was a book with a brown cover next to his bed. "You brought me a book?"

"That has the techniques they use to deal with outlaws in whom the darkness isn't strong, like that Drowzee dude we caught way back when. Or like you now, even though you haven't done anything to be called an outlaw yet. I thought, since you like books, this might help."

"Right. Thank you." He picked up the book and checked out the intro.

* * *

 

Dr. Blissa the Blissey was cleaning the hospital in a quiet moment when, with only a shaft of light, the calm was broken. A small pixie Pokemon was collapsed on the floor, bleeding heavily. "I need help," he said in a shaky voice.

"Oh my, I'll get right to it." She crouched down by the small Pokemon to pick him up, then carry him into the operating room.

"Don't open my eyes," he warned in an odd and serious tone. "My name is Uxie and my eyes hold a terrible curse."

"If you say so. Who attacked you?"

"It was a thief; he got the Time Gear." He sent an image into her mind.


	10. Mysterious Thief, Mysterious Hero, Mysterious Human

A couple of days after Trey got out of the hospital, Charlie had another announcement at the daily meeting. "And we have a very serious problem on hand. Another Time Gear has gone missing, this time from Fogbound Lake."

"What?" Flora asked. "But we didn't find anything there."

"Apparently, the lake Guardian did a really fine job of keeping us from finding it," Bartleby lied.

"But he didn't do as fine a job against the criminal. However, he has managed to give us an identity to the thief while the hospital was taking care of him. The picture has been posted in every Guild of the surrounding regions. We don't have a name, but he is a Grovyle."

Although Trey had agreed against doing outlaw jobs for a little while, Team Marmalade checked the post for the picture of the Time Gear thief. The thief would be easily identified over any other Grovyle; he had a long gash of a scar running down between his eyes, of a browner green than the rest of his skin. And even then, his green looked pale. A Grovyle was supposed to be a darker shade of green than a Treecko, but not this one.

"That scar and that look makes him look scary," Matti said, as the boys were curious too.

"Yeah," Azeri added. "But he's not like Trey."

Trey looked worried. "Are you sure about that?" he asked quietly. "He might be my father."

"You can't know that for sure," Stacy said, gripping his arm.

"Well how many others like me have you seen around? Nobody, I know. Not until this guy."

"Oh, Stacy!" Cece, the Chansey that worked at the Daycare, hopped off the ladder and came over. She smiled at Trey. "Hi there, Trey. Stacy, I was wondering if your team could help me out."

"Oh sure, what is it? Don't you need to be doing the Rite of Passage today?"

She nodded. "Right, but there's a problem. The area we use for the rite has been developing into a Mystery Dungeon. I have five children ready for it, including Matti here. I've decided to go on ahead to the old spot, but if this year's trip is rough, I'll move it next year. But because of the children, I'd like to have an explorer team along, just in case."

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea. What do you three say?"

They agreed, so they went to escort Cece and the five children to the traditional site of the Rite of Passage. It was an acknowledgment that the young Pokemon were smart and mature enough to be considered adults. They had to travel to a solitary mountain that stood north of the river to reach the site, one of many spread throughout the world. And it was beginning to show signs of a dungeon; wild magic was making itself noticed while the sides of the paths were starting to becoming taller and rougher. Every now and then, someone found a Berry or Rock that showed evidence of gremlins moving in.

At the end of it and at the base of the mountain, they came upon an ancient monument. There, a giant stone block stood unsupported in the middle of a flat opening. On the surface of the slab, there was an attached sculpture of a circular group of rays, like one of the children might draw the sun.

"The mountain ahead of us is called Sky Peak," Cece said. "It is called that because the peak is always up in the clouds, see? And this monument is called the Sign of Arceus. Arceus is the Creator of the entire world, a Pokemon that none can compare to. Some Pokemon are said to have met him at the top of Sky Peak."

"The Creator of the whole wide world lives here?" a Smoochum asked. "Wow."

"Yes. Now, you will go up to the Sign of Arceus and make a solemn promise to be a good and responsible Pokemon. Then touch the stone. If you mean your promise with all your heart, you will be accepted as an adult Pokemon. And the stone can tell if you're not yet ready or making an empty promise. So when you're ready, go on over."

"I didn't know we were promising this to someone so powerful," Matti told his sister.

"Arceus must be a kind Creator, so there's nothing to fear," Stacy replied.

"All right." The Marill went up first. They couldn't hear what he said, but when he touched the stone, a circle of white energy came over him. He had been accepted.

When he came back over, letting the Smoochum go up, he hugged Stacy. "Now I'm gonna work at the Guild too," he said. "Senior said I can help him write up the jobs and stuff like that."

"That's great," she replied. "With two of us working, nobody can take Azeri away from us."

After the last to the children had gone to make their promises and gain acceptance as adults, Cece smiled at them all. "And so, now you are adults. We will respect you in this, but you must keep the promise you made today. If you do, you will find blessings over your life."

At that, there was a sudden bolt of lightning. The accompanying thunder was momentarily deafening, causing everyone some degree of fright. But as they regained composure, the yellow sundisk fell off the stone slab with a noisy clatter.

"Oh my goodness," Cece said. "This has never happened before."

Sally went up to see if there was a way she could put the sundisk back up. But then she had one of her visions and dropped it.

"Maybe it shouldn't be touched," Matti said.

"No," Stacy said. "Sally, what is it?"

She turned back to them and signed a message. Trey watched, then widened his eyes. "She says that she heard someone say, 'Take the sign back to your hometown and place it somewhere safer. In days to come, this place will be too dangerous for children to visit anymore.'"

"Oh my, so it is turning into a dungeon. Sally, are you able to handle that sign?"

She picked it up again, then nodded. She carried it back to town, then set it against Chansey's Daycare until a more suitable place could be found to hang it.

* * *

That evening, there was a celebration in the middle of Treasure Town for the five new adult Pokemon. A band played music for everyone to dance to. Many Pokemon had put their efforts into making a wonderful buffet spread of all sorts of special foods and drinks, all free for anyone who attended. There was lots of happy chatter and cheers raised, not just for the young adults, but also for any other reason and cause for celebration and joy.

All of the apprentices and workers in the Guild attended. They wore their best accessories, as did all the other Pokemon. Sally fiddled with her armor device until she came up with a pretty blue dress with rhinestones that matched her blue eyes. And with the locals, there were some visiting explorer teams that were often away from Treasure Town for months at a time.

There was even a newcomer, albeit a famous one. "They said that he wasn't well-known until a few months ago," Flora told Team Marmalade, as the group had gathered to share some treats with Matti and Azeri. "But, oh my gosh, Drakken the Dusknoir is said to be the most amazing explorer ever! He easily passes through dungeons that most teams wouldn't dare step foot in and he defeats every outlaw that he sets out to catch. And he does it all by himself! He is so wonderful; I want to go over and get his autograph, but I'm so nervous."

"I've heard about him," Matti said. "Mimen was saying that this Dusknoir supposedly cleared all ninety-nine levels of the Zero Island dungeon, and most explorers have difficulty passing even a dozen floors of that place. And he's brought all sorts of outlaws to justice."

"That is amazing," Trey said. "Where is he?"

"You can't miss him," Flora said. "He's one of the few here who's taller than Sally! He is a bit dull-looking and easily blends with shadows. Maybe that's why he's so good at what he does, unlike Sally with her white hair and brightly colored accessories."

Sally made a playful sign reply of, "But I like my armor!"

Later on, Trey was by himself, thinking. At least, he thought he was alone. "So you stalking Stacy now?"

He jumped, but it turned out to be Kip. "Oh, it's you. No, I'm not stalking her. I'm just thinking."

The Skitty gave him a smug look. "Thinking about her. I know how it is."

Trey blushed and covered his snout. "Maybe."

"So, why don't you go up and ask to dance with her?"

"What?"

Kip waved his paws to send him along. "Go on. She's cute and sweet, but not my kind of girl."

"Well..." he looked over, then nodded. "Okay, I'll give it a shot. I never asked a girl for a dance, though."

"Just be yourself, nice and cool," Kip called.

"So he says," Trey mumbled to himself as he walked over to where Stacy was. She had her Yellow Bow on today; while it contrasted with her blue skin and brown shell, it still managed to look nice. He went up to her and said, "Hey Stacy."

She smiled. "Oh hey Trey, there you are. Having fun?"

"Yeah. Hey, um, do you want to dance for a bit with me."

She smiled. "Sure, sounds fun. Come on." She took his paws and they went out to the dance area. Trey was very pleased.

* * *

 

As the night grew, Sally was clapping along with the musicians. From the way she swayed her feet, she would have liked to dance. But with all the smaller Pokemon around her, she made herself content by watching the dancers from the sidelines.

A shift of the air caught her eye and she turned. A large shadowy Pokemon was settling in beside her. Even though he had a barrel-shaped chest drifting down to a thin waist, his head was oddly small for his body. And he didn't have legs either, just a trail of ghostly smoke. A strange yellow antenna twisted on his head, indicating that he could feel things beyond normal senses.

"It's odd to find a human in these lands," the Dusknoir said in a low but kindly voice. "Even odder than finding one with white hair."

Sally raised her eyebrows, giving him a questioning look.

He met her with equal curiosity. "I haven't met any, but I know some about your kind. Tell me, you would be the one they call Sally?"

She nodded.

"My name is Drakken. What are you doing here in the lands of Pokemon?"

She looked puzzled, then shrugged. She made a few signs, then tapped her mouth.

For a second, Sally thought she caught a smile start on Drakken's face. But then he settled for something more sympathetic. "Oh, you do not speak? My, you are one mysterious character."

She gave her odd-sounding laugh, then clapped at the end of the song.

"But everyone speaks warmly of you, so you must be kinder than some that our ancients speak of." He looked over at the band. "I wonder… what kinds of music do you know of your people, and such things?" When she gave him a clueless shrug, he went on, "I'm sorry for being suddenly intrusive, but I've always valued knowledge. Knowing that I do not know much about something is frustrating. It must be frustrating to you as well, given your unfortunate disability."

Their exchange was interrupted by a girlish squeal from Flora. She skipped up to them. "Oh my gosh, Sally! Do you know what's going on between Stacy and Trey? Because my friend Gloria saw the two of them holding paws and going down towards the beach a while ago, and Chiaka told me not to bug them. But I hadn't heard anything about the two of them going out."

Sally smiled and signed that she didn't know, but then Kip interrupted with, "Just let 'em be. Better to not interrupt young lovebirds, if that's the deal. Later, though, that's a whole different story."

"Eek, so they are dating?" Flora asked happily.

"They weren't before. Anyhow, it's none of my business and I'm happy to keep it that way." Sally poked him on the forehead, so he looked up. "What? I don't have a lady at the moment and if you saw something, don't say anything." It made her laugh.

"It would be better to let them be, and not gossip about such things," Drakken noted.

The Sunflora stilled when she realized that he was there with them."Um… hi, Drakken… sir."

"Hey is this the first time I've seen you struck speechless?" Kip asked, grinning.

"ATTENTION!" Larry's voice carried throughout the entire party. "The band has an announcement! All of you taller and bigger folks who have been polite enough to stay out of the main square, we're giving a dance just for you. So don't be shy now."

"That's quite thoughtful," Drakken said, as various others like the Gyarados lady, Casey the Kangaskan, and a Golem came off the sidelines. "I'm a stranger here, though."

Sally got up and shook her head. She then offered her hand to Drakken with a kind smile. If he wasn't too sure about going out, then she would accompany him.

Seemingly nervous, he first brought his right hand to his chest. "I'm not sure about this. You have been nice and tolerant, but…"

"Aw come on," Kip taunted. "I betcha nearly every guy at this party is jealous of you now because Sally's asking you to dance with her."

In a silly mood, she giggled at that. Drakken's face turned a shade darker, as if blushing. "Well it's not quite appropriate between humans and Pokemon… but I guess, just a dance is fine." He took her hand and they went out with the others on the square.

Near the end of the song, Stacy and Trey came back. "What's going on?" the Squirtle asked.

"Sally's dancing with Drakken," Flora replied. "He was right here and, oh my gosh, but I couldn't talk to him. But she got him to dance with her!"

"So what were you doing?" Kip asked them. "Making out?"

"No!" Stacy said in a startled embarrassment. "We were just out talking."

"Right, that's what every couple says about walks to the beach at night," he returned.

"We were just talking," Trey said. "We weren't gone that long."

"But you're still holding paws," Kip pointed out.

The song ended and a number of watchers cheered and clapped for those who had been dancing. Sally came back over to them, with a bubbly smile and a wave at Stacy and Trey. Just behind her, Drakken followed. "Thank you for the dance," he said. "You're quite graceful."

After she signed something, Trey translated, "She says you were too, so she didn't have to worry about getting her toes stepped on. But he doesn't have any feet… oh."

She laughed at him, clapping. She was obviously in a good mood.

"I don't get that comment every day," Drakken said. "If you'll pardon me, I'm looking to speak with some others. But it was good to meet you, Sally." He then drifted off into the shadows.

* * *

Uxie's head was bandaged up. After his request that his eyes not be opened, the doctor Blissa had cheerfully wrapped the bandages right around them. It put his mind at ease that he couldn't accidentally hurt anyone while he was recovering.

But worry still plagued him, about his sister and brother. Now that he was alert, he tried to reach out to them again; his last message had been cut short and probably was making them worried sick. However, something seemed to block his telepathy tonight.

Something that felt like a wintery breeze on a warm spring night.

* * *

The party was warm and vibrant, full of life and excitement. On the breeze was a touch of summer flowers, still warmed by the sun. All the residents and visitors to Treasure Town were happy, laughing, chatting, singing, and dancing together. All but one. This was so different for Drakken that he couldn't trust it.

Something was going to happen. Joy was something to be wary about, as it hid some darker purpose or made one careless. And trust was a weak force; for these Pokemon to trust one another so fully was foolish. This whole era was foolish. That must have been why the Master had been so set on keeping things as they were, so this time of fools did not continue.

Most of all, Drakken was worried about Sally. Was she trying to torment him? Or had something happened to her? He knew about her talent of seeing things. It had been a massive risk to take her hand, even if it had allowed him to blend in better by joining the dance. Watching her talk with her new friends, he anxiously waited to see if it would be triggered. But then maybe she was messing with his head, accepting him with such apparent blind faith. At any rate, he couldn't let Dialga find out about this.

But nothing seemed to come of letting her touch him. And there was only a small chance that this was the wrong human. The combination of being false albino, deaf, female, tall (by female standards), with those machines, and named Sally was almost strong enough to identify her correctly. At this point, the only thing that would clench the proof was knowing that she had the blessings of Giratina. He wanted to see this before moving ahead. But he didn't want to see it in connection with her (and his) rather reckless behavior.

In the end, the lead he had been following was false. But he had come across the human, if by accident. And a new lead was in the tales these carefree and foolish Pokemon: a Grovyle was stealing Time Gears, even going so far as to harm a legendary Pokemon. That could only be one Pokemon in Drakken's mind. In that case, he had to get the cooperation of the Pokemon around him.

That would be easy. Still, he wanted to get back to his era soon. This era was so false, colorful brightness that hid savage hearts. At least the Pokemon of his era were honest with themselves.

* * *

"LARRY! YOU'RE LATE!"

Stacy woke up to the ringing insistence of Chiaka the Chimecho. As Sally put down her current sewing project, they heard Larry reply, "WHAT THE HEY? I'M STILL TIRED!"

"YOU WERE UP TOO LATE AT THE PARTY! BUT WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO TODAY! THE GUILDMASTER SAYS SO!"

On hearing Larry groan, Stacy and Sally chuckled.

"NOW YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL EVERY SINGLE COTTON PICKING MORNING!" a third voice shouted.

The daily meeting was accompanied by a few disgruntled and tired looks, a few amused and barely-not-laughing looks, and the occasional whatever look. Then they were sent off onto their usual work.

While Team Marmalade was checking out the boards for jobs, Bobby the Bidoof came up to Stacy. "Hey, um, mind if I ask your team to help me out on a job?"

"Oh, no problem," she said. "What is it?"

"Well, there might be a problem, but… I took a job yesterday to go looking for somebody: a Buneary called Bethany."

Sally suddenly looked attentive. Trey did too. "Bethany? Isn't she the girl who runs the craft store?"

"Um, yup, so you know her?"

While the human nodded, Trey said, "Sally stops by there to buy stuff for sewing accessories."

"Ah, I see. Well Miss Bethany was last seen headed to Amp Plains and hasn't been back for three days. I looked all over that place for two days, but I haven't found her yet. So, um, I'd like more people to come search."

"Sure, we can do that."

Trey put his hand on her shell. "Hang on, Stacy, think about it. Amp Plains is known for thunderstorms and being home to lots of Electric Pokemon. You'd be at a big disadvantage going in there."

"Well I'm not going to let someone stay lost for that long without trying to look. Besides, if I stick with one of you guys, it ought to be okay. So you guys know Bethany. Is there anything particular about her?"

"Hmm." Trey crossed his arms over his chest.

Sally tapped him and made a sign.

"Oh yes, that's right. She always wears a straw hat with a floppy brim and a red ribbon. It might not be much, but she's the only one I've seen around here wearing a hat like that."

"That might be enough. So let's go."

Amp Plains was a large stony field with hardly any vegetation. Overhead, there brewed thick and dark clouds crackling with electric power. The air was filled with static; Trey's leaf tail began to sway and Bobby's fur puffed up. But if Stacy was feeling uncomfortable, she didn't show any signs of it. After a short discussion, Bobby went with Stacy and Trey went with Kip. Sally walked around on her own. From her natural height, she could see where they were at most times and could reach them quickly if they got in trouble. And, logically, she would see Bethany first. That is, if the Buneary was out in the open.

After searching completely through nine levels, they still hadn't found her. "If we go in further, the thunderstorms get stronger," Trey said as the group gathered near the passage, a large metal arch. Oddly enough, these metal arches seemed natural, formed like vines that had grown up fifteen feet high, then gathered at a point with an orb that crackled with electricity.

"We still haven't found her, though," Bobby said. "Looks like we have to go on."

Sally then came over. She knelt down and handed them a straw hat with a floppy brim and a red ribbon.

"It's her hat!" Trey said. "Where was it?"

She indicated in the middle of one of the raised sections, but then made some signs.

"Huh. She says she searched around in the rocks, but found no other sign of her."

"Let's keep going," Stacy said.

* * *

 

Back at the Guild, Matti was working on filing reports. He saw Drakken wandering through the shelves where all the data was stored. But the Guildmaster had said to let him be. And so far, they hadn't really talked except for exchanging greetings.

But then Drakken started a conversation. "How long have you worked here, Matti?"

Feeling awed that the famous explorer had remembered his name, he said, "Oh, me? This is my first day, actually. But the Guild's helped me and my little brother out, so I'm helping them now."

"That's good of you."

"Um, Drakken? I hope you don't mind me asking…"

"Go ahead."

"Do you not like the sun or something? I know you're a Ghost and all, but the Duskulls are generally outside during the day and everybody else is out exploring. But you're in here."

"It's not that I don't appreciate the sun or that I'm not thankful for the warmth, light, and life it brings," Drakken said, "But I find that I do my best work at night, or in dark places."

"Oh." The Marill smiled. "Well, I suppose every Pokemon has different ways of doing things."

Drakken chuckled. "You seem quite perceptive for someone your age. It's very admirable. Now if you don't mind a question in exchange for yours, I notice that you seem worried. Is something the matter?"

Matti blushed. "Oh, well, I suppose it's no big deal, but I worry anyhow. My big sister is an explorer. She's with Team Marmalade and they've been to lots of dangerous places already. But today, they went out to Amp Plains to help Bobby search for somebody. Amp Plains is just a bit extra dangerous, you know, since she's a Water type too and the group she's with isn't particularly effective at dealing with lots of Electric Pokemon."

"Amp Plains, is it? It's very daring for a Water type…" he paused. "But no… this time of year would be when…"

"When what?" Matti asked.

"They don't have anyone particularly effective against Electrics?" Drakken asked, sounding concerned.

That worried Matti a great deal more. "Um, well… I suppose Trey wouldn't be hurt a lot as he's a Grass type. Then Bobby and Kip are both Normals. And Sally, well, I don't know how well humans deal with electricity."

"Humans can do things with electricity that no Pokemon can do. But then again… they could be in deep trouble."

"What?!"

Drakken patted him. "Calm down. I'll go after them myself. It is important to find that lost person, but then they might need my help to avoid trouble." He then left the Guild.

"Oh dear," Matti said to himself, gripping his pencil extra tight. Drakken was going to help them, but what if Stacy and her friends got in trouble before the Dusknoir could reach them? And, should he tell Azeri?

No, he didn't want to worry his little brother too. He would just have to be worried all by himself.

* * *

 

Back in Amp Plains, the group headed deeper into the rocky landscape, still looking around slowly for Bethany the Buneary. The rocks had gotten darker and redder in color as they went along. "Something seems odd," Bobby told them at one passage. "The past two days I've been looking, this place has been filled with Electric and other Pokemon. But it's really quiet today."

"I noticed that too," Trey said. "Something seems odd."

"The natives probably know something that we don't," Kip said. "Like some hidden ancient danger, or maybe just some super predator."

"A super predator?" Bobby asked, shivering. "That sounds scary."

A few levels later, Stacy came across a bush near a small pile of orange rocks that seemed to be moving oddly. "Miss Bethany?" she called out. "Are you here?"

"Huh?" A brown face peered between leaves of the bush, and then the craft store owner came out. "Oh yes, that's me."

Stacy smiled. "Thank goodness we found you. Have you been hurt?"

"Oh, no, I just got so lost and I'm not sure where I've gotten to now. And I haven't had anything to eat all day; do you have anything?"

"Oh sure." Bobby pulled out a Big Apple and handed it to Bethany. "And I'm real sorry I couldn't find you sooner. I've been trying."

"Well, you did, so thanks." She devoured the fruit hungrily.

Stacy waved over Sally, who got Kip and Trey's attention. "The next passage is over that way," Kip said as they came in.

Trey took the hat out of his Treasure Bag. "Here, we found this a while back."

"And you found my hat too? Geez, thanks so much." She slipped it on, putting her ears between two slots and tying the ribbon around her chin. "There was a great burst of wind and I lost it too. It didn't feel right to be without my hat."

"So you found her," a different voice said as a large Ghost approached them.

"Hello Drakken," Stacy said.

"Oh my gosh, the Drakken?" Bethany asked, putting her paws to her lips in surprise.

"Golly, what are you doing here?" Bobby asked. "Exploring too?"

"Actually, I came to find you all and get you out before trouble found you," Drakken told them.

"What kind of trouble?" Trey asked.

He pointed towards the exit to the level. "Down that next passage, you'll find a quiet floor of a large open meadow." A crack of thunder came from that area. "The storms are strongest there, and with the spring season we are currently in, even stronger. So it attracts a wandering band of Shinx, Luxio, and Luxray. This clan is very suspicious of outsiders, ever since a surprise attack killed off many of their members."

"That's terrible," Stacy said. "Then they wouldn't like it if we went over there."

Drakken nodded. "Right, they would most likely attack you on sight without question. They're not bad Pokemon, just paranoid and defensive."

"Well then how do we get out of the dungeon, then?" Bobby asked. "There isn't a warp panel on this level."

"I brought some Escape Orbs with me, just in case." He pulled one out. "Who's acting as leader?"

"Bobby," Stacy said. "As he's the most senior out of us."

"Technically, within the guild," Kip stated.

"All right, then here." Drakken passed the Orb to Bobby.

"Okay, Miss Bethany, we'll take you home now," he told the Buneary.

"Thank goodness," she said as the orb broke and teleported them all back to Treasure Town.

* * *

 

Over dinner, Drakken spoke with Team Marmalade and Bobby. Mostly Trey; the two found that they had a common interest in books and spent much of that time discussing ones they had both read.

Partway in, Sally tapped Trey on the shoulder and gave him a few signs that made him smile. "Oh, she says that she likes Wingulliver's Travels too," he told Drakken. "Because of all the interesting places he goes."

"It is a wonderful book," Drakken said. "Now the human sign language, that isn't something I've picked up. It's only useful if you come across a human who can't speak. But then, I'm sure it helps you a lot with Sally on your team."

"It does; she's a big help on the team."

"Well that's partly because she's also big," Kip pointed out, making Sally laugh. While at dinner, she had to kneel on the floor to eat with everyone. But she didn't seem to mind.

Also being large, Drakken settled back with her against the wall. "That does come in handy from time to time, but then again, so does being small. I do wonder where you picked up a human specific language, though."

"Wigglytuff has a book in storage about it," Trey explained. "It's quite a bit larger than me, but has pictures for every sign so that I was able to learn it fairly quick."

"She has other ways of communicating, though," Bobby said. "Like that thing she does when she covers your eyes."

"What kind of thing is that?" Drakken asked.

"Well she doesn't do that with everybody," Stacy said. "Just her friends, it seems like. But she sometimes has strange visions and feelings that she can relate to others by covering their eyes and transferring the vision. I don't like to rely on it though, since it causes her pain to do it."

Sally made some signs and a weird face, to which Trey translated, "She says it's like Larry's shouts every morning, just from inside her head and much stronger. That does sound pretty awful."

Drakken looked to Sally. "Where did you pick up this skill?"

She shrugged and made some more signs.

"She says it's just always been there."

"But then she doesn't remember anything past a certain point either," Stacy added. "From just before she arrived in Treasure Town, actually."

"How mysterious," Drakken said. "Well I can't say much more about the amnesia without more information; memory loss can be caused by many things, from magic to head trauma. But her way of seeing things… is it things in the past or things in the future?"

"I'm not sure," Stacy said.

Sally made some signs, so Trey said, "It seems like both, really. Because she saw that Bartleby had been in that one dungeon years ago, but also saw Azeri's kidnapping days before it actually happened. And sometimes it's not even a vision, just a voice or a feeling."

"Hmm… that does sound like something I've read about before."

"What is it?" Trey asked, curious.

"It's called the Dimensional Scream," Drakken told him.

"Sounds scary," Azeri said.

"Kind of. It's a mixed blessing, as you can learn about things that you couldn't normally find out, but you also have to deal with the pain it causes. And it seems to be tied to Giratina, a legendary Pokemon on whom very little information is available. When someone with the Dimensional Scream talent touches something, there is a chance they will learn something about it. It can be anything: a person, a trinket, the water in a pond. However, they have no real control over when it triggers, or over what it shows. The vision could be of the past, the present, or the future. It's a rare gift, one given only under unknown requirements."

Trey recalled when they had first met Sally and how some of her behaviors seemed odd. But maybe she had kept some memory of having the Dimensional Scream. She had tried to touch many things to strange unspoken purposes: the water at the beach, the rocks of Beach Cave, even that jar of marmalade.

"That makes it seem even stranger," Stacy said. "But it helps us out on many missions. I just wish it didn't hurt her quite as much as it did."

Sally shrugged and made some signs.

"She says that's the cost of power, so she doesn't mind," Trey translated.


	11. Quick Sand, Flying Sand, and Shooting Sand

A few days later, the apprentices and workers gathered for the daily meeting. And to their surprise, Drakken the Dusknoir was there as well. "Okay everyone, you know the situation," Charlie the Chatot stated. "A mysterious Grovyle is stealing Time Gears from secret places all over this region. The thief must be apprehended and we have decided that the best way to do so would be to seek the Time Gears for ourselves. However, we don't know where the Gears are located. But the generous Drakken has agreed to help us in this search."

"Please, it is no trouble," Drakken said politely. "It is in everyone's best interest that the thief be stopped quickly."

"So we all must work together!" Bartleby cheered.

"Now, after consulting Drakken and looking over records, we have picked out locations that may be hiding a Time Gear. Many explorer teams will be in and around our Guild and will also help us in searching these mysterious places. You will have to be attentive, as the other Time Gears may be guarded against discovery. Even our Guildmaster and some of our own were fooled at Fogbound Lake."

Team Marmalade looked at Bartleby, who smiled. They still hadn't said anything, and had agreed not to until they could speak to Uxie again. They wanted to assure him that it was so.

"Of course, you are free to chose a place to explore on your own or, if they agree, go with one of the other groups. But we would like as many places checked out as quickly as possible. And, as always, keep a cautious eye out for Grovyle. Uxie is a legendary Pokemon of the Psychic type, a powerful Pokemon in his own right. So this thief must be very strong."

After the meeting, nearly everyone went upstairs. The work floor was crowded with various Pokemon checking out the list of locations to be searched. "There's over thirty locations listed!" one Weavile said. "How many of these Time Gears are there?"

Trey tried to keep himself from looking at the Weavile, even though she was obviously quite different than Bloody Claw the Sneasel. "So what are we going to do?"

"I want Sally to look over the list," Stacy said.

She gave Stacy a questioning look.

"Well you sense things; maybe one of the names will jump out at you."

"We don't want to trigger her headaches around all these people," Trey pointed out. "But who knows? It'd probably be as good as any choice we make."

Sally shrugged, then carefully moved through the crowded room. That was another advantage to having her get close; other Pokmeon were more likely to give her space. After kneeling down to check the list, she came back over and made some signs.

"Northern Desert," Trey translated. "Let's find it on the map and then prepare to head out."

"Good plan," Stacy said.

"Is it me, or are those two getting along really well lately?" Kip mumbled to himself as he watched his teammates go out to prepare. Then he chuckled and sought out a less crowded spot to wait for them.

* * *

Northern Desert was a wide open Mystery Dungeon. There were few walls, but that actually made things worse. There were seemingly endless sandstorms blowing over the bleak sandy landscape. Because of this, they couldn't tell what much of the place looked like due to the flying sand.

In a moment where they caught a quiet spot by a wall, Stacy said, "Well this is certainly as protected as the lake, but with sandstorms instead of fog."

Trey had the compass and map, to observe their progress. "We've crossed a lot of ground, but where to now?"

Sally clapped for their attention, then showed Stacy something with her power.

"You feel like you recognize this place?" she asked. "And you felt the same way about the way up to Fogbound Lake?"

She nodded then signed.

"She thinks she feels the same kind of aura that the last Time Gear had," Trey said. "Where?"

She pointed, then added, "The sands seem to be swirling around, maybe that place."

"That could be," Stacy said.

"That means the sand will get thicker the closer we get," Trey told them.

"Is everybody ready for it?" Stacy asked.

"I'll just keep my mouth shut," Kip said. "But the daggone sand keeps flying in my ears! My poor skin."

"Well?"

"Yeah, yeah, let's get going."

Sally helped them by crouching down and crawling alongside them. Her armored skin then gave them a slight break in the gritty wind. Still, the bits that got through hurt.

At one point, they seemed to encountered an almost solid wall of sandstorm, roaring so loud that they couldn't hear each other. But once they passed through that, there was nothing. Inside the sandstorm, there was stillness, even quiet.

"This is eerie," Stacy said. "You don't expect to have this kind of calm in the middle of a storm."

"No, that's exactly what you find in the largest of storms," Kip told her. "This would be the eye, a place of dead calm." He twitched his tail. "And of a giant quicksand pit."

As they looked, a geyser of sand burst up, sending a fountain of sand around it. But then all the sand got dragged into a funnel shaped depression. It looked like a whirlpool of the ground.

"There isn't anything like a Time Gear here," Stacy said. "Now what?"

Sally went over and put her hands in the pit. After feeling the sand move, she pointed down.

"What in the name of Arceus?" Kip asked. "You want us to jump in that?"

She nodded.

Trey observed another sand geyser. "You know, she might be right. This isn't how normal quicksand looks like."

"Normal quicksand?" Kip asked skeptically.

"Quicksand is caused by water rising up between fine-grained sand. This is something different. And those sand geysers, those are different too. This is more like an ant lion's pit, which is a microbug that digs itself into a hole like this and eats those that fall in. There could be a cavern below this."

"Or a giant ant lion," Kip pointed out.

"But there's no jaws sticking out, so probably not."

Sally decided that was that. With her breathing mask over her face already, she jumped into the pit and rather quickly vanished.

"Sally?!" Stacy called out, going to the edge of the pit.

"It must be a pretty big cavern if she fell all the way in," Trey said. "Do you trust her?"

Stacy nodded after a second. "Yes. I trust all of you." Then she, Trey, and Kip jumped into the quicksand pit.

Sally clapped as they came down on a pile of soft sand, then went back to brushing sand particles out of her long hair. There was a cave here, oddly lit with glowing white crystals. Since everyone seemed okay, the team set off to explore the cave system.

The cave was long, with sandy tunnels, sandy geysers, and sandy falls. The white crystals kept the tunnels filled with a soft light, so that it was never a problem seeing. Sometimes, a sandstorm would brew even down here. If they thought they could wait it out, they tried.

After what seemed like hours, they came to an open space that had hardly any sand at all, just a coating of fine-grained white sand on the floor. "Can we call it a night?" Kip asked. "I'm worn down."

"That sounds like a good idea," Stacy said. "It seems like we've been here a long time."

While they were settling down and having dinner, the group talked happily. At one point, Sally clapped her hands, then opened her Treasure Bag. She pulled out four woven bands of colorful threads and passed three of them out.

"Oh, these are pretty," Stacy said, putting hers on by hooking the loop onto one of the buttons. "What're they for?"

Sally explained and then Trey had to pass it along. "She says they're friendship bracelets, a sign of how we care for each other and representing the color that friendship brings to life. Sally, that's really nice of you."

"And absolutely true," Kip said, showing an unusual amount of gratitude.

They camped, and then after they all woke up, they went deeper into Quicksand Desert. In order to make the search go faster, the team split up, with Sally and Kip going down one passage while Stacy and Trey went down another. After passing through more sandy tunnels with more sandstorms, and unfortunately less light crystals, the latter pair came upon a surprise.

"There's a lake, here underground?" Stacy asked.

"Yeah," Trey said. "It's pretty common, actually, but most people don't go deep enough in caves to see… look, there's a glow out there!"

As there had been at Fogbound Lake, the desert lake had a dome of light in the center, in the distance. It had a pale green glow. Under its light, tiny quartz crystals in the rock walls and under the water's surface sparkled like more precious diamonds. But the glow didn't extend fully around the lake, making it look like an endless lake of darkness.

"That must be a Time Gear," Trey said.

"Hold it!" a voice made shrill by anger said. From the water, a small pixie Pokemon shot up. She looked similar to Uxie, but of a pinkish-red color. And she looked mad. "It's you!"

"Huh?!" Stacy said, drawing into herself in being startled. "What about us?"

"You two ruined Uxie and stole the Time Gear he had, didn't you? He shouldn't have trusted you." She clenched her fists and lashed her tails around.

"No we didn't," Trey said. "We met him, but…"

"He told me about your intrusion and how you were the only ones who could have known. And now he's dead because of you!"

"N-No, he's not dead," Stacy said, confused now. "He's in Treasure Town's…"

"Shut up! I haven't felt him in five days! Now I'm going to ruin you!" An insane and murderous glint came to Mespirit's eyes.

Stacy and Trey were afraid. However, before they could decide on what to do or before Mespirit could make her first move, something behind her made her gurgle in pain. A pale Grovyle had snatched the legend, giving her a nasty looking wound across her throat. After he let go, she collapsed onto the ground. The Grovyle had a pretty bad scar between his eyes that was unmistakable. "I'm sorry," he told the legendary Pokemon on the ground. "But it must be done; I need that Time Gear."

"Hey!" Stacy came out of her shell and stepped forward. "You're not taking that Time Gear!"

"You two are going to stop me?" the Grovyle asked skeptically.

"Yeah, we will," Trey insisted.

"Fine."

Before either of them could notice him attacking, a pair of leaf blades crashed into them. How did he attack them so fast, Trey wondered. This Grovyle could have kept pace with the Gabite from Labyrinth Cave.

"This is more important," the Grovyle said, then dropped into the lake to swim after the Time Gear.

"Hey, guys!" Kip and Sally ran into the cavern. "What the heck happened here?"

Stacy seemed to be unconscious. "The Grovyle," Trey said. "He went in… the lake."

"Oh ****, then we don't… Sally, is there a warp panel?"

She nodded and pointed to the left side. She then picked up Stacy and Mespirit, while Kip helped Trey to the panel. As they started to leave, they saw a weird ripple race through the air. In the Quicksand Caves, time had completely stopped.

* * *

Uxie was well enough to get around the hospital. He came into the room that his sister was in. Because she had been attacked at the neck, her body was eerily still. And the cast didn't look that comfortable. "Mespirit."

"Uxie?" She opened her eyes weakly. "You're alive… and me?"

"It was close, but the doctor is good. You should be able to move again in a couple of days."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm blamed those guys who showed up at your lake first. I didn't know it was the Grovyle."

He put his hand on her head. "I've had a hard time focusing enough to send a message. I'm sorry I didn't get in touch with you in time."

"What about…?"

"I don't know."

"Hiya!" A Wigglytuff came into the room, followed by a white-haired human. "Ooo… should we stay out?"

"No, it's fine. You did keep your promise?"

Bartleby and Sally nodded. "Always do, always do. And I trust Team Marmalade. They're good Pokemon. And a human." He smiled at her. "Also, I have heard from my staff that telepathy is a pain to do in the past week. Even the wise librarian doesn't know why."

"So it isn't just me," Uxie said.

"He says it dissipates at a distance of, oh, about at the Hot Springs."

"I see. I feel a bit weak… would you mind escorting me to this Hot Springs?"

"No trouble. No trouble at all!"

"Good, thank you Guildmaster Bartleby. I'll tell you…"

"Are you sure about that?" Mespirit asked.

"He's in danger, even if I can warn him. So… but if you would, would you only send Team Marmalade in? I have felt their intentions, and I have seen them battle with my inner eye." He looked to Sally. "I trust you four."

"Okay! Easily done. We'd best ask Blissa, though. She don't like it when I sneak off with her patients."

"I understand." He patted his sister. "You get some rest and heal up."

"Right." She smiled. "She does look like Darkrai. Weird. I haven't heard about him in a long time, though. I haven't heard about anybody…"

"We might have to go looking when we're better," Uxie said.

Bartleby and Uxie left to speak to the doctor. Sally went over to Mespirit's bed and knelt down. After making a few signs, she paused, then put a hand to her forehead. Then she touched the pixie.

"What is it?" she asked. "I'm sorry about getting mad at you. But it was..." she paused, then looked at Sally's eyes. They seemed oddly blank.

Mespirit blushed. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. You picked me up when I was unconscious, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"Usually I have better control over that, but I was out cold... the three of us aren't much for fighters, actually, but the powers that we hold are extremely important. They make civilization possible. So we have these curses in case anyone tried to hurt us. The thief seemed to know what he was doing, as he didn't keep hold of me long. But I can drain emotions from people through touch. I can fix that, though, if you don't mind touching my gem."

Sally did so, and after a moment, she smiled.

"I'm sorry again. Uxie has the worst of it, though, since his only form of control is keeping his eyes closed constantly." Mespirit yawned. "But now I need to get to sleep.." she dozed off as soon as she stopped speaking.

After Sally got up, her Dimensional Scream ability activated. She stepped back and waited for it to clear. But then she had a great deal more to worry about. Mespirit's other brother was in grave danger.

* * *

Trey and Stacy had healed up faster than Mespirit. On the third evening that they had been there, they were released to go back to the guild. They walked along the paths there, but Trey noted that Stacy was moving slowly. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"I've been thinking about something." She stopped near the well at the crossroads. "I don't know if I want to continue with the guild."

"What?" Trey asked, startled. "But you love being an explorer. You've said it was always your dream to be doing this."

"It is, but…" her head slipped back, not fully in her shell, but close. "It's my brothers. I always knew this kind of work was dangerous. My dad, he got killed on an exploration. I still wanted to do it, but then I got to thinking while I was in the hospital… I promised my brothers that I'd always be there for them. I was thinking about what would happen if I didn't come back and they were left alone, and I just don't want that to happen."

"Oh, Stacy." He put his arm around her shell. "It wouldn't be the same without you."

"I know," she admitted, her voice trembling. "I'm your leader and I really shouldn't abandon the group. But I have to think of my brothers too."

"Are you sure about this?"

She looked to Trey, but quickly felt guilty about leaving him and the others again. She kind of wished that he wasn't being so supporting, as that would make things easier to leave the Guild. "No," she admitted. "I feel really confused and awful about the whole thing. I don't even care about that Grovyle thief; he just made me notice what kind of trouble we could get into, and I don't want to hurt anyone over my failings."

"I don't think you're failing at anything," Trey said. "Hey, why don't we go talk to your brothers and see how they feel, okay? If you're really going to quit, it's your choice… but you should think on it some more."

She gripped his paw. "Okay."

They had arrived while everyone else was eating dinner, but bowls of food were quickly brought out for them too. It was a potato dish tonight; after the rather bland food at the hospital, it was a good change of pace for them. Sally, Kip, Matti, and Azeri ate with them.

"Was the Grovyle really scary?" Azeri asked, half spooked and half keenly interested.

"Yeah," Stacy said. "He was really fast too; we didn't have any time to block or dodge his attack. He even got the Psychic Mespirit by total surprise. I wouldn't believe it except that it happened to me."

"Gosh," Matti said. "I'm glad you're okay now."

"Yeah, me too." Stacy felt, for a moment, that she should quit and be with her brothers; it had obviously upset them for her to get hurt badly. But then, on seeing her teammates, she wanted to stay with them too. Why did this decision have to be hard? It had seemed so easy initially.

"Hey, is there any salt around?" Trey asked, looking around the table.

"Um, there was," Matti said.

"Mimen has it," Flora said.

"Mimen!" Trey called, "Could you please pass the salt?"

The Mr. Mime was carefully tapping the shaker. "Hang on," he said. "I've almost got it."

"He has to get exactly the right number of grains in order to eat his food," Flora said, shaking her head.

"HEY MIMEN!" Larry shouted.

"Larry, not at the dinner table," Chiaka complained.

Mimen shot him a dirty look. "Now look at what you made me do! I've got too much salt on my potatoes." He sighed, then passed the shaker down the table to Trey.

"You're welcome," Larry chuckled.

Later, Stacy talked with her brothers about what she was considering. "But you like exploring," Azeri said.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to stop you from doing that," Matti added.

"But I hate making you guys worry about me," she told them. "I'm supposed to be taking care of you."

"You are taking care of us, in a way," Matti said. "Besides, remember what dad always told us? He said that as much as he loved being an explorer, he always thought of us and made sure to do things that we would be proud of. I'm sure you do too."

"Of course I always think of you."

"And we're proud of you," Azeri said. "You were strong enough to beat Uxie's illusion! That's really strong."

Stacy smiled. "Thanks, boys. I won't disappoint you."


	12. Crystal Clear

After the next morning's daily meeting, Team Marmalade met with Bartleby and Charlie in the Guildmaster's office. "We know where the next Time Gear the Grovyle will likely go after next is."

"Would it be the one that Azelf guards?" Trey asked.

"How did you know?" Charlie asked, shocked.

"Because every story about them notes that they are triplets, born from the same egg. There's the Being of Knowledge Uxie, the Being of Emotion Mespirit, and the Being of Willpower Azelf. And, since the two other locations were both lakes in very strange places, I would guess that Azelf also lives and guards a lake in a very strange place."

"That's… absolutely right!" Charlie said.

"Of course it is," Kip said. "He is the bookworm ninja, after all."

Bartleby nudged the Chatot. "He could take over your job, huh?"

"Oh, um... I wouldn't think so, right away. But maybe when you're more experienced." He coughed into his wing, then said, "Yes, another lake in a very strange place. This one is within Crystal Cave. It was on the list that Dusknoir helped us with, but we took it off the list a couple of days ago."

"Why did you take it off if it's the right place?" Stacy asked.

"Uxie asked us to," Bartleby said. "And he asked that you go in to meet with his brother first. He thinks he got the message to Azelf, but is uncertain."

"So you're to enter Crystal Cave and find Azelf. Hopefully you won't find the Grovyle again, but we cannot rule out that possibility. So take caution in your search."

* * *

Crystal Cave was exactly as the name stated. The crystals came in all kinds of colors: clear, blue, green, purple, red, yellow, orange, white, smoky, gray, and even an odd black here and there. It was one of the labyrinthine dungeons too, with long twisting hallways and very few lights.

Eventually, they came to a dead end level with a warp panel and three tall crystals: one red, one orange, and one purple. "So now what?" Stacy asked.

"Wish we could make off with one of these beauties," Kip said, hopping over to the nearest tall crystal. "All the rest might be worthless junk, but these ones…" he nosed it. It turned from purple to yellow. "Wow, they even change color!"

"Maybe it's some kind of riddle?" Trey wondered. "Are there any hints about the riddle around?"

"I don't see anything right off," Stacy said, starting to walk around the room to find a plaque or something.

Sally went up and touched the orange crystal. It turned green. One of her visions came over her, which she then showed to Trey.

"That was just a voice this time. But maybe it has some hint. It was… 'match the crystals to the aura of the Guardian'?"

"What's Azelf's lucky color, you think?" Kip joked.

Trey clapped to that. "That's it!"

"Well how are we supposed to know some legendary's lucky color?" the Skitty asked.

"Well Uxie and Mespirit had the same kind of skin, a pale blue, but they both had other colors dominant over that. Uxie had yellow and Mespirit had red… therefore, Azelf is probably blue. Touch all the crystals until they turn blue."

Once they managed to do so, the ground began to shake between the crystals; electricity arched between the top points. Stacy, who had been at the far crystal, ran over to get with the rest of the group before something happened. And something did happen: a large dungeon entrance appeared as a giant arch made of blue and white crystals.

"So there's a hidden dungeon within this dungeon too!"Stacy said. "They really wanted to make sure nobody found them."

"Of course," Kip said. "These legendary Pokemon take their duties really fricking seriously."

They went down into the next dungeon. It too had many many crystals. However, it was filled with long straight hallways with evenly spaced crossings. It was actually more difficult than the labyrinthine design, as all the rooms looked near identical and it was easy to get lost. Thankfully, Trey had remembered to bring the compass so that they didn't get too disoriented while underground.

At one point, they came across a problem. There was a passage to the next level that was only two feet high. Stacy and Trey were just under that height, and Kip could squeeze through even though he was a bit taller than that. However, Sally at six feet tall saw no way she could get herself through the passage.

"This is an odd problem," Stacy said. "Most passages are at least ten foot high and quite wide. What do we do now?"

Sally made some signs.

"Are you sure?" Trey asked.

She answered that question.

"If you're okay with that. She told us three to go on ahead; she'll keep looking around here for another passage. She says she'll be fine on her own and that it's more important that we find Azelf quickly."

"Hmm," Stacy said, reluctant to leave one of them on their own.

"You still have that Rollcall Orb that I insisted on you taking?" Kip prodded. "When an explorer team uses one, it targets our badges. So if we get in a tight spot, or if we find Azelf, we can use that to bring her to where we are. That is, so long as the rooms aren't tiny past here as well."

"I see. Then we'll do that. Take care of yourself, Sally."

She nodded and signed back for them to do the same. Then she started looking around hallways they hadn't gotten to yet.

The three Pokemon went into the small passage. Past that, they found a huge cavern which, like the desert cave, held a giant underground lake. But here, the crystals were larger, almost like ice. And they found Azelf, barely conscious with several bad wounds over his body. Past him, the Grovyle was just about to enter the lake.

"Hold it, you son of a Chansey!" Kip shouted in as loud of a voice as he could manage.

While the Grovyle was startled and turning to check out who was interrupting him, Trey quickly pulled a Stun Seed out of his Treasure Bag, then fired it like he shot his Bullet Seed attack. It burst open when it struck the thief, paralyzing him in a second.

"Good thinking," Stacy said quietly as they ran up. Although the thief was twice as big as they were, she and Trey dragged him away from the edge of the lake. "You aren't getting this one," she said firmly to the Grovyle.

"This is more important than you realize," he replied, right before throwing them off and making a dash for the lake.

* * *

Back on the previous level, Sally was still searching for a bigger passage. She felt a tinge of danger through the dense (and somehow familiar again) aura of the Time Gear. She hadn't run into any wild Pokemon since her teammates went ahead. Something wasn't right about that.

"Wheh heh heh," came a high-pitched giggle through the tunnels.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end at the sound of that giggle. It too was familiar. Chillingly familiar. Her unconscious mind released a rush of adrenaline. At another giggle that caused echoes, something triggered in her memory.

Of death and destruction in a world of darkness.

Of everyone around her (humans and Pokemon) dying from berserk enemies, or losing control of themselves and turning into those berserk enemies only to kill the ones who they had been trying to protect moments before.

Almost everyone was gone.

Her guardian had mysterious blue eyes and she could vaguely remember his voice. "I made this armor specifically for you, only for you. It should never fail you." And then, apparently disjointed, "You should stand against the darkness, without letting it take hold. We don't have many heroes left. Just you… and him."

And those little Pokemon that were the source of that chilling giggle, the giggle that nearly always preceded violence or death… the Sableyes… they were servants of the darkness.

Coming back to the present, Sally felt an intense fear for her teammates. The Sableyes could get through that small tunnel without problem. They could take down humans and Pokemon even larger and stronger than her. They could kill her friends before they knew of their threat. Even though she had only recalled fragments, it was enough to know that was true.

Although feeling scared for herself as well, Sally ran for the source of the giggling. She would protect her friends this time.

* * *

At the lake, the Grovyle nearly reached the lake when, unexpectedly, the whole lake froze solid. The large sparkling crystals that crisscrossed to form a barrier around the entrance area showed that it might not have been entirely ice covering the lake. The thief stopped just short of running into a rapidly growing (and sharp) crystal. "What's going on?" he asked, stunned.

"Uxie told me about you," Azelf said, sitting by Kip. The Skitty had given him an Oran Berry that he had snatched a dozen levels above and held onto just in case. Although it had helped him some, the pixie still looked to be in bad shape, bleeding on one of his blue horns and over his left eye. "So I prepared an extra measure, in case I fell. You're not getting my Time Gear."

The Grovyle seemed lost and panicked. Maybe he doesn't know where any others are, Trey thought. Then the thief got angry and turned around. "You don't realize what you're doing. My mission must be completed, or else. You lost to me before; do you want to challenge me again?" He seemed spiteful by the end of it, possibly even desperate.

What was so important that he had to ruin time even further by stealing the Gears? Trey knew that the Grovyle was powerful and swift, but he couldn't just back down. "Of course," Trey said. "You're the one who's causing the problem."

"What you're doing isn't right," Stacy added.

"Do you even know what the problem is?" the Grovyle challenged them. But before he could tell them anything more, a dark mass shot across the room. The Grovyle managed to dodge it, then shifted down into a defensive position. "Drakken!? What are you doing here?"

Drakken the Dusknoir came up through the floor, but his attention seemed focused on the thief. "I came after you, of course. And now I have you cornered."

"Are you so sure about that?" he retorted. Watching this, the four observers were shocked. These two knew each other? And how could the Grovyle be so confident when the situation was clearly against him? The Dusknoir came forward to attack; the thief met him in a strange blinding flash. When the light cleared, the Grovyle was gone.

"Hmph." Drakken then turned to the four others in the room. "I'm sorry I came too late, but I was waiting higher in the dungeon."

"You came just in time," Stacy said. "But how does he know you?"

"That is a long story and it's more important that we get Azelf out of here. By the way, where's Sally?"

"She had to stay on the last level because the passage was so small," Trey pointed out.

"Hmm… Stacy, Kip, you both go back with Azelf. Trey and I will look for Sally."

The Squirtle nodded. "All right. Thank you, Drakken." She and Kip helped Azelf to the warp panel and they left the dungeon.

Trey crawled back through the tunnel to the previous level; Drakken simply passed straight through the wall. "We left her here," the Treecko said.

"I hear something," he replied, then led down the passages and into another room.

They found a very tense Sally who turned to them suspiciously. In the room with her were five unconscious Pokemon. All Sableyes, which Trey identified only because he had seen them referenced a few times; they were about as unusual for this region as Treeckos were.

Once Sally recognized them, she loosened up and seemed relieved. Then she got worried again and signed, "Where are Kip and Stacy?"

"They should be back in town now, getting help for Azelf. What happened in here?"

"They frightened me badly," she signed to him.

Drakken looked over them. "These are some associates of mine. They were helping me to watch for the Grovyle."

Sally paled and made some frantic signs. "She says she's sorry about that," Trey told him. "Apparently they scared her and she fought back without thinking about it."

"I see. They can be unsettling. I accept your apology, Sally, and I'm sorry that they would have scared you."

She bowed her head, apparently with her nerves still frayed from the incident. She was even trembling, as if from something more serious than what happened here.

"Let's go back home," Trey told her, patting her leg.

* * *

After dinner, the Guild members, some civilians from town, and some other explorers gathered outside the Guild. Drakken was there, with one of his Sableye friends. Sally seemed calmer, but she still watched the Sableye as if she suspected it of something.

"First of all, I am sorry to have deceived you all," Drakken said. "You are good people and I disliked doing so. However, I was focused on capturing the thief and I knew you would have a hard time believing my story."

"That's all right," Charlie said. "Sometimes you have to do that kind of thing."

He nodded. "Right. The truth is, myself, my little friends here, and that Grovyle are all from the future."

"The future?" Trey asked, while others murmured. "How is that possible?"

"It took a lot of doing and I can't fully release that information yet… we don't want more trouble coming from unwitting time travel. But… in the future, that Grovyle… I am uncertain of his name, for he lives a shadowy life… he was a notorious outlaw. He and his partner were responsible for many terrible crimes. Somehow, they came up with the plan and the means to come back in time and steal the Time Gears. If he is successful, he will cause a terrible tragedy, the paralysis of the whole world."

"How would stealing the Time Gears cause the paralysis of the whole world?" Charlie asked. "They do cause paralysis of the area they were in when taken, but the whole world?

"This time period is already unstable, so the consequences here are much greater. And have you noticed that the frozen areas are spreading? It may only cause a freezing when only one is taken, but what if more are taken away and time is undone even further? The end result of this is a terrible future for us all.

"If the world paralysis came into being… the sun would never rise again. The whole world would be covered in darkness. No winds would blow; no tides would change. Life would become an endless suffocation in night and madness, but there would be no end in sight. With no time left to flow, there would be no change. It is truly a nightmare, and one that I have risked a lot to come back and stop before it begins."

"That sounds horrible," Flora said. "Why would anybody want that?"

"Those whose minds are overwhelmed by the darkness already would like it very much," Kip said, rather seriously.

"Yes, but why he in particular wants it, I do not know," Drakken replied. "No matter the reason, we must stop him."

* * *

Mespirit floated into the room. "Azelf," she cried, then came over and hugged her brother.

"Oo, careful," he said.

"You're not supposed to be out of your room yet," Uxie said, from where he was floating by Azelf's bed.

"I know, but I'm not gonna ignore him."

"Fine, for a little while," Uxie said.

She was pleased that he wasn't going to argue it out with her over this issue and turned to her other brother. "Did he get you by surprise too? It was like he was trained in taking us out."

"I saved the Gear, though," Azelf said, weakly flipping his tail. "Froze it solid so that no one can get to it without my power."

"Oh good."

"There was some strange news from the Guild last night," Uxie said. Then he told them about how Drakken the famous explorer and the Grovyle thief were both from the future, and about the world paralysis.

"That's horrible," Mespirit said. Then she lowered her eyes. "But… something seems strange about it."

"What's strange?" Uxie asked.

"Well I did get carried away by my temper, but… when that Grovyle apologized to me, I felt that he was sincerely sorry that he had to hurt me. And while he was struggling with a brush of darkness in his soul, it's not in control of him. He's not evil. But then why would he want to trigger a planetary paralysis if he's not evil?"

"There was also something I found strange," Uxie said. "We were not told of the planetary paralysis threat when we were given charge of the Time Gears. It's logical that it would be the end result of a mass theft of many gears, but we were just told that they would keep time flowing near our lakes until time settled down from its current unease."

"The one who told us that wouldn't have lied to us," Mespirit insisted.

"I know; I have faith, don't worry. But it still seems like some information is missing. Like why telepathy between us, born from one egg, was suddenly cut off. I had a horrible time reaching you, Azelf."

"The message I got was unclear and broken," he replied. "But it was enough for me to understand the problem. The explanation would be that someone doesn't want us communicating. Maybe just us three, but more likely, someone doesn't want all of us exchanging information."

"I haven't heard from any of the others in a long time," Mespirit said. "It's kind of lonely. I almost wanted to leave and go visit, but being connected to you both kept me there."

"And the issue with time was supposed to have been cleared up quickly," Uxie stated. "But it's only getting worse. And then this mysterious Pokemon from the future had to come back and remove what little stability was left."

"So he wants the Time Gears," Azelf said. "And that Drakken came from the future after him."

"That's right," Uxie said. "Drakken is an explorer from the future. He knows a lot about this time, though, from reading so much about it in preparation for this mission. So he is willing to do anything to stop the Grovyle and bring him back to justice in the future."

"Then why don't we trap him with Drakken's help?" Azelf suggested. "We won't be caught by surprise this time."


	13. Yet Another Stupid Death

"GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!"

"I hate you."

More routine mornings, Stacy thought. It was reassuring. She never had to worry if she and her brothers would be out of food, harassed by wild Pokemon, or separated. And they had a good income now, so she could fix up their house (they could move back after she graduated) and help her brothers enter whatever career they wanted.

After the daily meeting, Charlie had a surprise announcement. "Okay everyone, I've got some news and a request from Drakken. He says that he and Uxie, Mespirit, and Azelf have come up with a plan to capture the Time Gear thief. However, he needs our help in doing so. Indirectly, anyhow."

"What is it?" Flora asked, shaking her petals excitedly. "We'll help catch the thief."

"We'll help trap the thief," Charlie corrected. "Drakken wants us to spread a rumor that the triplet legends will be going back to the lake at Crystal Crossing to unfreeze that Time Gear and use it to seal a whole bunch of other Gears into place so they can't be stolen either."

"Wouldn't sealing a whole bunch of magical artifacts like that be very tiring, even for legends like them?" Trey asked.

"Yes, and that's exactly what we hope to trap the Grovyle with. We do not know how he is getting his information, but if he hears that they are going to be in a long process to seal the Gears, he would certainly take the opportunity to steal the one at Azelf's lake, then any others he can get information on. However, the triplets will be prepared for him, and they have Drakken on their side. They should easily capture the thief that way. In order to do this, we must spread the false information."

Everyone agreed to do so. It seemed like a brilliant plan. As they set out to prepare and go out on missions, they let others know about the 'sealing plan' instead of the true trap plan.

* * *

After considering some outlaws and a lost item search, Sally pointed out a kind of mission they hadn't done yet. The paper said, 'I've seen this mysterious area that no one seems to know about. There might be treasure there! Let's explore! Client: Kichu the Pikachu'

"An escort mission?" Stacy said. "My parents would tell stories about this kind of mission. Some clients are good, and some aren't. But you have to make sure that they don't get badly injured, or you might actually lose ranking points. They're usually worth more ranking points if you do well, though."

"Well there's four of us, and Pikachus are said to be good in a battle," Trey pointed out. "So it shouldn't be so bad."

"That name sounds familiar…" Kip mumbled.

As the escort missions were only posted if the client were waiting, they found the Pikachu sitting outside on a bench. "Oh, so you believe me?" he asked. "Great! I show you right where it is! It's got a real pretty entrance and it feels like a strong place of wild magic."

Stacy smiled and held a paw up. "Hang on, we need to pick up some supplies."

"Oh, right, that's good, yeah, to be prepared."

"Hey, I remember you!" Kip stated, puffing his chest up in pride. "You were one of the guys from recruitment day who didn't make it."

Kichu blushed. "Oh, um, yeah, I was there with you guys. But I just got real unlucky that day, believe me! I'm a great explorer, just not an official one, but I'll get in and become famous someday! I'm always finding neat treasures in dungeons. Just this one, it didn't look like I should go in it alone."

After getting some extra supplies, they followed Kichu for quite some ways. After taking an overgrown dirt path away from the main road, they found a large archway of twisted branches. Sharp thorns poked out from those branches, as did dried berries and leaves. An newly made sign sat by the arch: 'hear ar de deeff medow. atvenchurrs bewar.'

"Deaf Meadow, I guess?" Trey said. "That is some atrocious writing."

"Hey, Sally might have some advantage here," Kip joked as they went inside. "She's already deeff."

When they entered, they could hear perfectly fine. And there were the normal dungeon noises: the wind, some water, wild Pokemon cries. "This place doesn't seem that deaf," Stacy said.

"I dunno, maybe the wild ones can't hear?" Kichu suggested.

"They can hear all right," Trey said. "Otherwise, they wouldn't be calling to each other."

"Whoa, hey, jackpot!" Kip ran over to an area on the other side of the opening field. "Check this out! We've hit the seed motherload."

And indeed, there was a group of twelve seeds lying about close together. "These look like Reviver Seeds!" Kichu said. "That's amazing. This would cost a small fortune."

"No kidding," Stacy added. She had never bought one, although she had found several in other dungeons. Now they had twelve. But they had to split it between five and one was a client, so…

"Hang on," Trey said, picking up one of the yellow seeds. "This one looks a bit off. See, it's got these red lines. I'm not sure what that means, though."

"Weird," Kip said. Then he snatched the seed. "Well there is a way to find out for sure." He ate the seed.

"Isn't that dangerous to do with an unknown seed?" Stacy asked. "It might be bad."

"Maybe… whoa, that's some trippy effects… huh?" Kip swayed, then giggled. "Oh, it's… called a Reviser Seed, cause it revises stuff." He laughed hysterically, then collapsed unconscious.

"Weird," Kichu said.

"Kip!" After making sure it didn't have any red lines, Stacy picked up an actual Reviver seed and snapped it under the Skitty's nose. When he got back up and shook himself, she added, "Let's not try that again."

"You never know if you don't try," he countered. "So we don't know which one of those are real and which are fakes?"

Trey, having been examining the remaining ten seeds, picked one out. "This is also one of those Reviser Seeds. The rest are good." He threw the seed away. Or, he tried to. He shook his hand, but the Reviser Seed was stuck fast. "Aw man, now what?"

"It's a Sticky," Kip explained. "It'll be impossible to remove from your hand now, unless you find a Cleanse Orb or get out of the dungeon and wash it off with plenty of soap. When you start finding Sticky items or Grimy foods, then you know that you're in a sadistic dungeon."

"A sadistic misspelled dungeon," Trey said.

But for being a sadistic dungeon, it was awful pretty. There were silky grasses flowing like tides under the sweet-smelling breeze. There were pastel flowers popping up everywhere. The few trees around were gorgeous and dainty.

And then there were the traps. Trey had learned how to spot such things; the ground where a trap lay looked slightly different, like the red lines of a Reviser Seed. But in every open area of Deeff Medow, there was at least one trap.

"How do you know they're traps?" Kichu asked. "They could just be different looking spots of ground. And that spot doesn't look all that different."

"There's also a wild magic there," Trey pointed out. "I spent a lot of training with a Psychic in order to spot them. And that's a tr…"

There was a loud boom as another trap triggered. The explosion was enough to knock Stacy out. "What the hell happened?" Kip asked. "Aw man, now my fur's singed."

Sally, who was using a Reviver Seed on Stacy, pointed to a Golbat that was coming into the room. It fired a ball of grey energy at Kichu. The Pikachu looked puzzled. "Oh, huh? What were we talking about?"

"Oh great," Trey grumbled. Their client had been confused. He tried to gently grab Kichu's shoulder to keep him from stumbling onto one of the three traps in the room, but then the Golbat decided to fire Confuse Ray at him too before Kip and Sally managed to knock it out.

Why did they call that attack Confuse Ray when it was actually a wandering orb? Trey wondered that, right before the air around them warped. It was like walking through a passage. Except, the wild magic decided to cause a whiplash, causing a stinging sensation Trey's body. It snapped him out of the confused state, though.

"Ouch," Kichu said. "What was that?" He stumbled forward, triggering a trap of spikes which raised up and knocked him unconscious.

"That was a Poison Spike trap," Trey said, pulling Kichu off. But then some static shot up the Treecko's nerves, causing him to lose all feeling in his body.

"And that was Static," Kip said cheekily.

"Kip," Stacy warned him as she revived Kichu.

The Pikachu looked tired. "Whoa. Exploring is confusing."

"And to answer your question from before," Kip went on, "you stepped on a Pitfall Trap. It warps you to the next level, but it hurts just enough to keep me from using it as an intentional shortcut. At least in most cases."

On their trip to the next passage, Kichu and Kip both got knocked out by a Magnitude from a Diglett that Stacy then knocked out. Then Sally got knocked out twice on the third level, first by a surprise attack while she was dealing with the effects of a Koffing's smog, then another surprise attack by a Pinsir who used an instant knock out skill.

On the third level, Stacy saw Sally wading through a pool of water that came up to her waist. "Be careful out there," she called. She would have to swim through those waters if her human teammate got in trouble.

She gave a sign that Stacy knew as a reassurance. She dropped down in the water and fiddled with something there. Then she came out with some damp ropes and an odd treasure. As she did, Trey, Kip, and Kichu came out from somewhere. "What'd you dredge up this time?" Kip asked.

Sally shrugged and gave it to Trey. It was a white device shaped like a hoop, with blue stripes at a few intervals. After brushing off some mud, the Treecko looked it over. "Well I'm not sure. It seems like those specialized boost items that are found from time to time."

"I know what that is," Stacy said. "It's a Water Float. It is one of those specialized items; it's meant for an Azurill, Marill, or Azurmarill."

"Oh, like for your brothers?" Trey asked, handing it to her.

"Yeah." She looked over it, then washed it up a bit more. "And it's odd to find something like this lying at the bottom of a meadow pond."

"Yeah, shouldn't a Float float?" Kichu noted.

Stacy chuckled while Sally held up the wet ropes. Apparently, the Float had been tied down to the bottom. Then the Squirtle said, "Aside from that… years ago, my Dad collected a bunch of those special items, like a Marill Dew, and traded them with a sorcerer in order to build them up. At the end of months of collecting and trading, he finally had a Water Float to give to my Mom as an unexpected present. She was an Azurmarill, so it helped her out a lot."

"So it's a really rare one, then?" Trey asked.

"And we could sell it for a lot of money?" Kip added. At the glare he got from Stacy, he said, "Kidding!" then focused on cleaning his ears to not look so embarrassed.

"Well, my Mom's Water Float was supposed to go to one of my brothers when they became adults," Stacy said. "But some time ago, it got lost in the tides. This probably isn't it. That Float's got to be far out at sea, not this far inland."

"It might just be the one you lost," Trey pointed out. "Gremlins might have gotten a hold of it."

"You're right. Anyhow, I think my brothers will be happy to have this back, even if it's not exactly the one our parents had." They moved on.

"Good grief," Kip grumbled as they looked over the fourth level, full of thorny vines. "There's sadistic dungeons, but this place… giving us ten Reviver Seeds , then dropping us down to two, bah. This is like somebody's out to get us."

"Well at least the passage is right there," Stacy pointed out, and led the group over to the woven archway.

Just before they got there, a Wiscash shot up out of a pond and blocked their passage. "No passage!" it shouted.

"Hey, I can handle this!" Kichu said, making his red cheeks glow as he stored up power.

"Wait, no!" Trey shouted.

But then Kichu sent a Spark at the Wiscash. It shrugged off the attack, then jumped up and landed hard, sending an unbelievable barrage of mud at the Pikachu. That attack knocked him out. Trey used Mega Drain on it, followed by Stacy's Swift. After those attacks cleared, Kip darted up and tackled the Wiscash, knocking it out. It vanished as the wild magic teleported it elsewhere to heal up.

Sally revived Kichu, who looked disappointed. "What happened? I shoulda knocked it out immediately."

"That was a Water Type, yes, but it is also Ground Type," Trey pointed out.

"Oh." Kichu was noticeably quieter and stayed closer to the group on the fifth level where, fortunately, nobody got knocked out. But there was an incident of mass confusion that everyone agreed not to talk about it any more.

On the sixth level, they came upon a group of Hoppips, Skiplooms, and Jumpluffs. They saw the group of adventurers and shrieked. Most of them tried to fly this way or that, throwing petals and cotton fluffs all over.

"Whoa, hey," Stacy called. "Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you!"

"Hey, what's going on here?" A Bellossom came into the clearing. "Visitors? Why did you..?" A fluff of cotton drifted onto her head. "CALM DOWN, EVERYBODY!"

The others all stopped. "Um…" one said.

"Sorry," said another.

"We freaked out."

"I can see that," the Bellossom said, barely restraining her anger. "Now, you visitors… what are you doing here in Death Meadow?"

"Death Meadow?" Stacy asked.

"Yes, it says so on the sign outside the dungeon. You can't have missed it."

"You mean on that horribly spelled sign that said 'Deeff Medow'?" Trey asked.

"It-it's a proper sign!" she snapped, putting her paws up so they couldn't see her blush in embarrassment.

"This doesn't seem like a Death Meadow," Stacy said. "It's really lovely."

"Yeah, except for the insane density of traps," Kip added.

"We set all those traps up to keep people from getting here," one of the Jumpluffs said. "We don't want nobody else out here."

"You might do better with a 'Private Property' sign," Trey suggested. "Even if that sign said 'Death Meadow', I'm sure that it would only dare other explorer teams to test their strength."

"Oo, and that won't be good if a strong Fire type comes in here," a Skiploom said.

"That's a good idea," the Bellossom said. "But, um, how do you make a Private Property sign?"

"Do you have another wooden plank?" Trey asked.

After he wrote up an official looking sign for the other Grass Pokemon, the Bellossom offered them a reward: five Oran Berries.

* * *

Back at Treasure Town, Kichu said, "All that and we only come up with five berries and a seed? Man, exploring is tough."

"Real treasures require a lucky stroke to find," Kip noted.

"Did you want the Reviver Seed?" Stacy offered.

The Pikachu rubbed his ear. "Well, no. You'll make better use of it. I'll take one of the berries, thanks. Oh, and my reward for you guys… thanks for taking me around someplace new, anyhow." He handed over one thousand Poke and a Cheri Berry. "Good luck; I'll put in a good word about you guys." He then scampered off.

"Well that was a cruddy day," Trey said, once Kichu was out of hearing range.

"Yeah, it was," Stacy agreed. "Let's make a report."

Stacy's brothers were thrilled to have a Water Float again. "You found it after all this time?" Matti asked. "That's amazing!"

Stacy smiled. "Isn't it? You two can decide what to do with it; it will work best with you."

"We can share it," Azeri said, to which Matti agreed.

* * *

At the end of one daily meeting, the Guild got a surprise visit from a Magnemite. "I came to report that the Grovyle thief was captured last night. We interrogated him, but he didn't speak to us. Drakken is prepared to send him back to the future now and invites you all to come."

In the town square, quite a crowd had gathered, including Azelf, Mespirit, and Uxie. Mespirit squealed happily and flew over to hug Kip, who reacted by protesting loudly, much to the amusement of others. At the north end of town square, there was a large black… thing. Like a blob, but it seemed more like a hole when looked straight down into.

"What is that?" Trey asked Uxie, knowing that he was the most likely out of the whole crowd to know what something mysterious was.

"It's a dimensional hole," Uxie replied. "They generally aren't allowed to hang around very long. Holes like that cause all sorts of problems by dumping unsuspecting Pokemon into different places and times. But this one was targeted and Drakken assured us that it will be gone once all of the future Pokemon are gone from this time."

"That would be the right thing to do," Stacy said. "Although Drakken has been very nice and inspiring to everybody."

A quartet of Sableyes came out to escort the Grovyle to the dimensional hole, with Drakken following. Sally frowned at the Sabelyes, then seemed inexplicably bewildered upon seeing the Time Gear thief. As for the Grovyle, he seemed stoic, then suddenly made a frantic movement like he was trying to escape. It didn't last long; the officers had tied him up really well and the Sableyes weren't letting him move from the path they were setting. The Sableyes brought him into the dimensional hole to drag him back to his proper time. That left three Sableyes who waited behind Drakken.

"I want to thank all of you for being so helpful," Drakken said. "I will miss you, but I must return to my proper time. You've all been wonderful."

"You've been wonderful too!" Flora called. "Thanks for everything."

"Yes, thanks for setting things right," Casey the Kangaskan said.

"It's been an honor working with you," Drakken added. "Uxie, I'm counting on you to get things set back in place."

The yellow triplet nodded. "Yes, it will be done shortly."

"Good, then I must say goodbye… although, one thing first. I need to speak with Team Marmalade, all of you."

The Squirtle, Treecko, Skitty, and human all came forward. Sally was still eyeing the Sableyes warily. "You've helped us out of a couple of tights spots, sir," Stacy said. "Thank you."

"Yes, you're all quite exceptional." Drakken bowed his head. Then, without any warning, he grabbed Sally by the arms and pulled her forward. "But this is not the time for goodbyes," he added, in a strangely harsh tone. With that, he yanked Sally into the hole.

And before anyone else could react, the three Sableyes grabbed hold of the other three and stole them into the dimensional hole. There was a brilliant tunnel, like a rainbow broken down into static. Then there appeared another blob, another hole. Team Marmalade and their captors now appeared in a totally different space.

The sky overhead was dark. There was no moon, no stars. Just darkness. Strange hissing blue lights on tall posts lit the area, an open stone circle of a platform. In that light, they could see strange forms, like rocks hung in the air with no support whatsoever. And before them, there was an immense stone tower. But it was broken into three gigantic sections, which seemed to be tumbling down towards earth. The collapsing tower was frozen as well. It should have fallen right down and crushed everybody, but it stayed right where it was in the process of falling apart.

The air was completely still and stale. It was cool, but not cold. All around them, there seemed to be a horrid sense of despair and madness. This is what Drakken described when he spoke of the world paralysis, Trey thought. But hadn't they stopped the Time Gear thief? The Grovyle and his guards were nowhere to be seen. Was this really the future?

Drakken checked back to see that the other three were there. "Good," he said, his voice cold and authoritative. "Now…"

Sally's breath sharpened, then she abruptly went into a frantic attack. She jerked her weight away from Drakken, then turned around and punched him in the face. In response, Drakken put his hand over her face and attacked her at point blank with some darkly glowing attack. Trey took the cue to sweep his tail at his captor's feet, then attack it in a similar manner. However, the Sableye lashed out with equal speed, raking its claws deeply into Trey's face. The pain was so harsh that he cried out and closed his eyes. Or, had they been clawed straight off his face?

"Stop this nonsense right now," Drakken said in a cruel voice. Trey heard a gasp from Sally and a cry from Stacy. Kip was apparently muffled, as all that came from him was an angry bunch of gagged jibberish. "I will deal with those three in time. But Sally, we've been looking all over for you. Master Dialga wants to see you and he will not be denied."

"You've been looking for Sally?" Stacy asked.

"She is from this time, your future, as well. She is the Grovyle's missing partner."

Trey was then forced onward by his captor dragging him into the tower. He tried to dig his feet into the ground, to make it tougher. But the Sableye had no problems with pinching, poking, or even slashing him again to get him to move along. The Treecko grew more and more worn out as they went along, as he felt blood running down his face. The injury had been bad enough that he could pass out from blood loss.

And as the Sableye tossed him roughly somewhere, he did just that. He heard the clank of steel and the high-pitched giggling of the Sableyes. Then there was nothing.

* * *

"Don't open your eyes," Trey heard Stacy say from nearby. He felt her cool scaly paw stroke his shoulder. "You might start bleeding again."

"Stacy? Where's Sally?"

"She's still gone," Kip said.

In that space, there was a tremendous sound. It was like a howl, or a roar, but too grandiose for either term. It made his bones tremble.

"And that, I guess, is Master Dialga," Kip added.

"Dialga…" his voice was rough.

"Here, drink this." His two friends tried to help him sit up and drink a bottle of water. It was definitely from Stacy; it had a slight tinge of something that he knew was her power. "Your wounds still look bad even after we treated them as best we could."

After he felt a little clearer, he asked, "How long have I been out?"

"I… we don't know," Stacy said.

"There's no window in this cell," Kip added. "And it all feels downright wrong in this hellhole."

"You could always tell time was acting up back home," Stacy mused. "You could always sense what time it was, though. But here, it seems like we've been here only a few minutes and that we've been here for months."

"This must be the planet's paralysis," Trey said. "Dialga is the Being of Time. When he was created, time was formed and set into a regular rhythm. If time has corrupted to the point of not moving at all, Dialga can't be well."

"He sure sounds like a mad 'mon," Kip observed.

"Drakken was supposed to be stopping that," Stacy said. "But then what he just did… I thought he was a great explorer."

"He's obviously not," Kip said sharply. "Kidnapping us like this, hurting Sally like he did… ugh, that was horrible to watch. And to put on an act like that, which fooled even the legendary Pokemon drawn into his scheme… I'm surprised that I didn't sense the darkness within him, but he hid it extraordinarily well."

"But what about the Grovyle, then? You saw how he hurt Azelf. And he got Mespirit pretty badly too."

Kip sighed. "I don't know about that either. It's all crazy and confusing." The whole time he'd been talking, Trey could tell that he was pacing around. He then seemed to kick something made of metal, which clanged in resistance. Kip grumbled curses under his breath.

"Careful," Stacy said. "We're locked into this room. The metal bars won't budge. But we haven't heard a sound from any other creature."

"I'm still tired," Trey mumbled, drooping his head. "My tail leaf feels wilted. And it's so warm and stuffy in here."

Stacy brushed her paw across his cheek. It felt soothing as she let him slip closer to her. Just for that moment, it seemed like things could turn out okay. But then there was still that inner sense of something being terribly wrong. Stacy hugged him to her shell and kissed his forehead. "You have a fever. I wish we could get you to a doctor or a healer."

"Heal Bell won't work on that," Kip commented. Then the quiet padding of his small feet came over to them. "Someone's coming, finally."

There came a high-pitched giggle which made both Stacy and Trey shudder. The steel door came up. From the noise, it seemed like Kip tried to do something, but was soon captured. Stacy and Trey were grabbed roughly and dragged away as well.

Trey tried opening his eyes, hoping he could be of some help, even if he was sick. But his body threatened to betray him, giving him so little strength that the Sableyes eventually dropped him and left him on the ground while they subdued the others. By the time he could get his eyes open enough to see clearly, Stacy had been rendered helpless through paralysis and was being tied up with thick ropes. One of the Sableyes punched her in the head, causing her to cry out and his peers to giggle.

That was almost too much to bear. The darkness hissed in his mind that he should kill them all. However, his more rational side knocked that suggestion down quickly. He was weakened, outnumbered, his companions were tied up along with… the Grovyle.

The thief seemed to be thinking. Plotting an escape or wondering how he could have gotten captured? Why were they being treated the same as him?

The Sableyes giggled again as one of them taunted Stacy as she was fully tied up now. Glaring, Trey managed to prep a Bullet Seed and shot it at the taunter. And not just wildly; he aimed for just above one of the gems that stuck out of its back. As he hoped, it yelped and jumped into the air.

The group of Sableyes hissed as one. Two came over and kicked him down to the floor, then dragged him up to another post to tie up. Their giggles were particularly malicious as they teased and taunted him. But he quickly lost focus on them as the fever began to pressure his mind. It sapped what little energy he had left and made their pokes barely noticeable.

And then they left.

"Trey," Stacy said, concerned.

He tried to reply, but couldn't find his voice. His head was getting dizzy. By the time he could focus, Stacy was speaking with the Grovyle and the door to the room opened. Nine Sableyes were now in the room with Drakken as their leader.

First, Drakken took Kip. It was a strange sight, the large and bulky Ghost holding the little pink feline at arm's length. "You could be blessed by the darkness, if you so choose," Drakken told him. "It is a part of you, so stop denying it. Embrace your darkness by joining us."

Kip held his ears back. "I will only embrace the light of my darkness," he growled. "I want nothing to do with total darkness."

"So be it. I gave you the chance." He then flung Kip hard into the stone wall, making a nasty thump. The Skitty then fell on the floor. He was motionless; with blood starting to seep out? Or was that Trey's own blood dripping into his own eyes?

Drakken then spoke to the Sableyes. The Grovyle said something and Stacy responded, but Trey couldn't quite tell what. The nine Sableyes then came up to them.

"Things must remain as they are," Drakken told them, as if it were a death sentence. "All unknowns and rebels must be removed. And thus, this is your fate." He then nodded.

The Sableyes came forward. That was a death sentence, Trey realized. And these were the executioners. They came forward, three to each of them, and they slashed with their claws. And slashed. And slashed. And slashed. And slashed.


	14. Welcome to Heck

The infirmary was almost empty. A bad kind of empty; one could almost hear the suffering of the Pokemon who had spent their last hours here. There were only two in now. One was a Treecko struggling through a fever induced by an infected wound, which was being stubborn about not healing right. The other was a Shaymin, quiet and anemic.

There was a soft shuffle of curtains as someone flew in. Celebi stopped to land by the Shaymin. "Hey Shaelin. How are you doing?"

"I've been dreaming again," she said. "But the meadow battles with nightmares. I find it harder and harder to wake up."

"Shaelin," Celebi said sadly, putting her head against the Shaymin's.

"I'm sorry, but this world is not listening to spring any more." She was the last remenant of spring, and she was being driven towards death in tiny measures.

"It's openly hostile to spring, and to all Grass types. If you go, then it's just me and him…" She was quite upset for a moment, but brushed it aside. "How is he doing?"

"His fever hasn't broken yet," she said, reluctant to cloud any hope. "But I think his name is Trey."

Celebi looked over at the Treecko. "Trey, huh?"

"He's lost his friends. It seems they were killed by Primal Dialga's cronies. It makes me wonder how he survived to show up at that beach."

"It can't be a coincidence that I was the one to find him," Celebi said. "Primal Dialga might have tried to kill him, but it's through his power that this one escaped."

"By accident?"

"Maybe. Or maybe… there's an oddity about him I can sense. He's stopped going forward in time and has started going backwards."

"Backwards?"

"Like he's caught on the back turn of a loophole," Celebi said, her mind seemingly distant from the infirmary. "He may seem to be going forward like the rest of us, but he's going backwards even if he sees himself moving forwards."

Shaelin wrinkled her nose. "Are you talking time travel again? It always confuses me."

She smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I don't mean to."

"I know. How is the training going?"

"Everything looks good. I have to keep tight reigns on using my abilities, though. I don't want Primal Dialga to locate me." She started thinking on something again. "The cycles just seem to get tougher, though. I try to smile and keep everyone's spirits up, but I have a hard time doing that to myself. And those two are going soon. I know it's important to find her quickly, but that's just less support in our management. I'm not used to leading an army. I was just taking care of my forest, but now we're planning on me taking care of the whole world… "

Shaelin nosed her gently, feeling too weak for anything more. She knew Celebi's trouble. With the sun gone and the waters ruined, the Grass Pokemon had slowly but surely died out first. Shaelin surived because her powers as a legendary Pokemon kept her going just a bit longer than the others. However, Celebi's power was inextricably linked to Dialga's power. So long as Dialga survived, even as a hollow shell of his former self, Celebi would survive as well.

But Celebi could travel through time in many different directions. If she let that darkness take hold of her as well, then the world of darkness would have always existed. For that reason, Celebi was firmly in the fight against Primal Dialga. However, the loss of her fellow Grass types, with the decline of her fellow Psychic types, was taking a harsh toll on her heart.

Shaelin was almost sure that she was still alive because she struggled to keep Celebi company. But she was sure that it couldn't last much longer. While they visited, they hardly spoke about it.

"I have work to do," Celebi said. She naturally had black rings around her eyes, but even that didn't disguise how tired and overwhelmed she was feeling. "I'll come visit again later if you're awake."

"Okay. But take care of yourself and get a good rest. You're a good friend."

"You too." She hugged her, then left to attend to her duties of helping to run the rebellion.

"I'm sorry, Celebi," Shaelin said quietly. "But it's either that both of us will die, or one of us will." She struggled to her feet, then walked over to the next bed where Trey the Treecko was fighting for his life. She was tired just in doing that; the lack of sun had taken a terrible toll on her health. But she had been gathering just enough power to save the other.

She produced a globe of sparkling water, then patiently gave it to Trey. Then she waited.

* * *

 

With the Sableyes' giggles echoing in his mind, Trey woke up in a fright, his heart pounding. A gentle female voice spoke from next to him. "Don't be afraid; you're safe here. And you don't want to get too stressed in the state you're in."

A rush of blood hit his head and made him feel dizzy. He breathed in deeply to calm down, then noticed a lovely scent. It was like fragrant grasses and spring flowers. He looked at the Pokemon beside him. She was small and low to the ground; her white paws had to rest on the side of the straw bed in order to look him face to face. And she had a grassy covering over her back, although it was looking a little yellowed and sickly. A wilting pink flower sat on one side of her head.

"Who're you?" he asked. The act of speaking informed him of how worn out and warm he still felt. The fever may have lost its grip for the moment, but he knew that he was still quite ill.

And she seemed ill too. "I'm Shaelin, the last of the Shaymin. Is your name Trey?"

He nodded. "How did you know that?"

"You said it a few times in your restless fever. That, and the names of your friends."

"My friends?" Thoughtlessly, he put his hand on his wrist, where Sally's friendship bracelet was still on. He looked around, but it was just him and Shaelin in a long empty infirmary. Something of the room spoke of despair rather than healing. "Where are my friends? Where am I?"

"This is the hospital area of our hidden base. But…" her eyes seemed quite sad, "You came here alone. We're not even sure how you got this far in your condition."

"Alone? But, but there were three of them. Stacy the Squirtle, Kip the Skitty, and Sally the human… have they been here?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not."

"So they.." got killed? He didn't want to say it, but the truth gripped his heart and crushed it. They had been killed. He remembered seeing Stacy get slashed by the Sableye executioners. He remembered seeing Kip get thrown into a wall and then not moving. And he remembered Dialga's roar when Sally had been taken directly to him.

Trey had already had a rough life back in the present (the past now, he glumly realized), so he had made himself tough in response. He normally didn't cry in front of anybody. But Shaelin's presence was soothing and comforting, a sharp contrast to the dead silence and stillness around them. And his illness made him feel weak, helpless, and exposed… just like he had been back at the execution site. He wanted to have been a hero then, and save everybody, but then he hadn't been able to do a thing.

Trey broke down and wept, soon hugging Shaelin as she stayed there for him.

As he felt no passing of time, he wasn't sure how long he spend crying. The Shaymin stayed with him, though, until he ran out of tears. "Sorry for taking up your time," he mumbled.

"There's no real time left, so that's nothing to worry about. Besides, so many people have lost so much in this dark era. Not even the best of us can keep it all inside. So what're you going to do now?"

"I don't know." Part of him just wanted to give up and it would have been very easy to go to sleep and never wake up. But that didn't feel right. Even if it would bring him back to his friends, he just had a feeling that they wouldn't appreciate it.

Another part of him wanted revenge, the part that had been denied killing Bloody Claw. But again, Kip's words held that back as the faint whispers of darkness tried to pull it forward. He didn't want to lose his mind, and therefore all his memories of his friends. But then, what was there left to do?

"What kind of base is this?" Trey asked. "It's very quiet."

"They made sure this area was quiet for healing," Shaelin told him. "This is the base of the rebellion against Primal Dialga."

"Primal Dialga?"

She nosed him with her snout. "And make sure you remember it. People get irritated if you use his old name of Dialga, while a few others get angry."

"What happened?"

"You don't know?" she asked, curious.

"I, um… I came from the past."

Her eyes lit up. "Directly before the era of darkness, back when there was a sun?"

He nodded. "Right."

"So how'd you get here?"

"Drakken the Dusknoir dragged me and my friends here"

Shaelin seemed puzzled. "Drakken? I don't recognize that name."

"Well he works for D… Primal Dialga. And he was apparently ordered to come back to my time, later to kill us. I don't know why, though. We were just a novice explorer team, still apprentices."

"Odd, but it must make some kind of sense to them. Anyhow, what happened is that in the past, Temporal Tower collapsed. The Tower was where Dialga lived and some force had corrupted it in an unknown manner. The Tower is connected to Dialga's power; thus, when it fell to corruption, his power fell into corruption. This drove him insane and caused him to destroy all time, sending the whole planet into a paralysis. After that point, he was known as Primal Dialga, for his mind and heart have been reverted to feral and primal states where he lives by instinct, not reason. Thus, he is extremely paranoid about his own survival and will stop at nothing to destroy anyone and anything that might destroy him.

"Many Pokemon, even legendaries like my clan, were killed or corrupted in the first attacks. And when darkness overtook the world, destroying the sun, stopping the wind, and ruining the waters, those of our Grass type began to die terrible wasting deaths." Shaelin rubbed her snout with her paw. "At this moment, the Grass Pokemon are almost all extinct. There's you, me, and Celebi."

Trey felt a chill through his body. It was bad enough to bear the deaths of his three friends; he could hardly imagine that all other Grass Pokemon were dead as well. But in a world without sunlight, how would they have survived?

"Celebi's a lot healthier than you or I, but the reason why is a great burden to her. She's known as the Time Travel Pokemon. Her power is linked strongly to Dialga's. While one lives, so does the other. She's leading the rebellion against Primal Dialga and she's done a remarkable job of staying sane. Mostly, anyhow. She's always been just a bit odd."

"Huh." Maybe he should join this rebellion. It would appease his desire for revenge to help them, but not in a way that would trigger the darkness to increase in his mind.

"I'm sure they would train you, if you wanted to join them," Shaelin said, as if reading his mind. "Once you got better, that is."

"Yeah. It might take a while, but… it's strange. Even though the time I came from had instability so you never knew just how long a moment would last, it's hard to think of a time like this, with no time."

"You just learn to put up with it. Most everyone is simply trying to just survive in this era, but Celebi's thinking of greater things." She pawed him. "I'm sorry for taking this long to say it, but I believe I can heal you up completely."

"You think?"

"The power of my clan is that of spring, of renewel, rebirth, and change." She looked sad for a moment. "Not that those things happen that much in this era. But my flower…" she rubbed the pink flower on her head, which surprisingly looked less wilted than before, "if you were to eat it, it should banish the illness and weakness inside you."

"Is it all right to do something like that?" Trey asked. It was part of her body, and not something that was regularly shed like the Gabite Scale. As it might also be painful, this seemed almost sacreligious to even suggest it.

"I offer my flower to you freely by my own paw, so it is fine. But it must be done quickly. It is a spring flower, and the blossoms don't last long in darkness."

"Okay, thank you. If there's anything I can do for you…"

"Just promise me that you will be loyal to Celebi. We three are the last of our type and she needs all the support she can get."

He hadn't ever met Celebi, having only read about her. But if she was standing against Primal Dialga, it was an easy choice. "I promise, I will work my hardest for her, and you."

Shaelin smiled, looking like some great worry had been alieviated. "Good. I've only just met you, but I have a feeling, deep inside… I believe in you, Trey." She then plucked the pink flower off her head and gave it to him.

Trey ate it as instructed. There was definitely a power to it, although it tasted mostly like a weak flavored rose. After he had completely swallowed it, the power it had immersed his body in a warm glow. His blood felt like it was burning at points as this power of spring razed his disease from within. And his body didn't feel like it was only healing. It felt like it was changing and growing.

Once the power settled down, he realized that it had done more. The Shaymin flower had allowed him to evolve into a Grovyle. He couldn't see any scars left from the Sableyes' attacks and his energy had been restored. He did seem oddly pale compared to what he should be, or maybe it was some trick of the strange lighting of the room.

"SHAELIN!" A pink blur zipped by him as Celebi (in an odd pink color, not light green as she should be) flew over to the Shaymin and hugged her. It was then that Trey noticed that Shaymin's grass had turned brittle, dry, and brown. She was dead.

"Celebi," a male voice called out, sounding annoyed at the interruption. Then there were two more in the room: Mew and some guy who looked kind of like Mew. The latter winced when he realized what had happened. "Oh."

Mew floated closer and looked over the Shaymin. Then she turned to Trey. "Did she freely give you her flower by her own paw?"

Trey's throat seemed to go dry as he began to realize what was going on. "Y-yes, she did and that's exactly how she said it."

"In exchange for what?" Mew then asked.

"That I promise my loyalty to Celebi… I'm sorry, she didn't tell me that…" he grimaced.

"Well then that's what we expect of you," the guy Trey couldn't identify stated firmly, although a flicker in his eyes showed that he was also unsettled by the death of the last Shaymin.

* * *

Trey was almost twice as tall as he had been before, so his movements were awkward at first. Or maybe that had to do with a lingering weakness from the infection. He followed Celebi through the underground base. It definitely wasn't a Mystery Dungeon, as it lacked the feel of wild magic. But, perhaps due to the legendaries here, there was a definite sense of tamed magic everywhere.

Celebi seemed to have her mind running in several different directions at once, perhaps avoiding thinking about Shaelin for the time being. "We don't have anybody really appropriate to train you. I have a lot of things to take care of… oh, and I need to get Mewtwo to do a final check on the life support systems before they go. The food here is bland, but that's the best we can manage without proper farming available. There is a schedule around here, but it's hard to describe; you'll just have to live out a couple of cycles to see. Our rebellion has… what kind of battle style do you have, Trey?"

It took him a moment to realize her question. "Oh, um… I go with speed and stealth, although I can get in a good hit every now and then."

"Ninja-like, huh? Well I wouldn't put you with the Poison crew; that won't be compatable and most of them over the world have slipped into primal states. Some types are sliding straight into primal while others are resisting it quite nicely. But then what about those of us who are getting suffocated by it?" She crossed her arms over her small chest as she kept floating forward, caught somewhere between being sad and being angry.

"It all still feels unreal to me," Trey said, feeling he should say something, but uncertain of if that was the right thing to say.

"Well you've caught a break in that your lighter skin seems to be photosynthesizing any light that it can get instead of dying for sunlight. So hopefully you'll be around for a decent bit. Okay, I think I've got it. There's a few other guys who fight like that. Over here." She went down a hall and led him into a dojo. It was spacious, but sparce in any décor, or anything at all.

In the dojo around a simple low table, Trey saw a Gabite, a Scizor, a Castform, a Lucario… and a Sneasel. The Castform twirled its frills. "Hi Celebi. What's up? We were just chatting on break."

"Hi guys!" she said cheerily. You would have thought she was actually happy, Trey thought, but he had a feeling it was a very good show of being happy, not the real thing. "I've got somebody new to join you for training. This is Trey; he just got out of the infirmary. This is Gala," she pointed to the Gabite, "Scepta," she pointed to the Scizor, "Bubbles," she pointed to the Castform, "Lilli," she pointed to the Lucario, "and Konga," she lastly named the Sneasel. "Bubbles, do you mind him joining your crew?"

"We'll see how he does," Bubbles replied.

"Okay, then she's your instructor for the time being. I hope this works out for everyone."

"Celebi!" Mew popped into the room. "We're about to head out."

"Was there anything else you needed us for before we did?" Mewtwo asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Um… well…" she seemed lost.

"The life support system?" Trey said quietly, remembering that from her rambling talk earlier.

"Oh right! Thanks Trey! Yeah, everything looks good now, but that is one thing we don't want breaking down at any point."

Mewtwo nodded, then the three of them abruptly vanished.

"I wish we could have got Mew or Mewtwo to join the clan," Bubbles the Castform (and apparently the leader) said. "They've got to be masters."

"They're probably still conserving power for the sake of mortal Pokemon," Scepta the Scizor said. "Although I'd hate to see their full power if that's conserving it."

"So then, Trey," Bubbles said, floating over to him. She was a small Pokemon, translucent gray and somehow even less impressive than a Shuppet. "What kind of battle experience do you have?"

"I was an apprentice at an explorer's guild…" he wasn't sure how much to say past that. Or how much he could believe that Bubbles was the leader of this odd group of supposed ninjas. It didn't seem like anything he had thought about before.

"Time displaced, huh?" Before he could ask about that, she went on, "Well that's nice. But let's see you get into our mini dungeon and see how you do."

Konga the Sneasel snickered, riling up Trey some. "All right," he said, accepting the challenge.

The mini dungeon was particularly nasty despite being only a few levels. There were spikes that suddenly shot out from the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. There were traps galore, even those that would trigger to fliers, or wall-walkers like him. While there weren't many wild Pokemon, what ones were there were really strong. One had to use ninja-like stealth and strategies to get in range and defeat them before they defeated the adventurer.

When he successfully navigated the mini-dungeon, Konga said, "You're too slow."

"What?" Trey asked, feeling his face get warm.

"You can be way faster than that," Scepta said. "Still, you've got a knack for trap and detection avoidance."

"Well it's something to start with," Bubbles said. "We'll work with you for a while. But don't expect it to be nice and easy."

"That's fine by me," Trey replied.

Maybe if he challenged himself through them, he wouldn't find himself helpless again.


	15. Life Among Rebels

It was quiet. Trey left his sleeping space, little more than a hole in the wall lined with a Mareep wool blanket, and found the Castform. She was looking over a list on the wall. "Master," he said softly.

She bobbed in the air, acknowledging him. "Would you go wake Lilli? She's late."

"Right." He went back into the hall they used for sleeping and looked around.

The Lucario was the only one still asleep; the others were at the other end of the hall, cleaning up at the small spring of water back there. Trey could just go over there and wake her. But, he was in the midst of alertness training himself, learning to be ready for battle as soon as he woke up, even countering to a point before he was fully alert. Waking his peer might be an invitation to attack.

Trey picked a pebble off the ground, then flicked it at Lilli as Gala the Gible was walking by. Lilli was up immediately, hitting her head against the dirt roof of her sleeping space. When she looked over, she saw Gala. "Hey, that was rude," she muttered.

"What?" she asked, twisting her large head. "What'd I do?"

"Wake me up."

She rolled her eyes. "You were sleeping too late anyhow. Get up."

"You didn't have to wake me that suddenly," she grumbled, rubbing her head.

"I didn't wake you up."

The two kept arguing with each other through the morning routine. When the group gathered, Bubbles narrowed her eyes at them. "Just what are you arguing about?"

"She says I woke her up rudely, when she was sleeping late in the first place," Gala complained.

"I'm sure it was her," Lilli stated.

She bobbed. "So that's how it is." She looked to him. "Good work, Trey."

"I just did as asked," he replied.

Gala and Lilli glared at him. It gave Trey something of an extra incentive to be fast but unnoticed in his workouts, so that he could avoid them. Over the cycles, he kept pushing himself to get faster, to better fit into the group's methods. He couldn't tell much of an improvement cycle by cycle, but after the routine had gotten ingrained in him, he could run the mini-dungeon test in half the time. Still, that was still too slow.

The schedule had no time to go by, but eventually, Bubbles called everyone to break for a meal. At that time, Trey spotted Gala and Lilli together. He considered finding a way around them, but then checked closer. The Gible had somehow gotten the Lucario tied down with one of her hand spikes jammed into the ground dirt. Rather impressive, considering how small the Gible's arms were compared to the rest of her body. "This is what you get for making me look bad," Gala stated harshly.

"Hey, I apologized for that mistake," Lilli said, trying to get herself free. "This isn't fair."

"Neither is making me look bad in front of Master Bubbles. You're not getting this meal."

Feeling bad for Lilli, Trey prepared his Bullet Seed attack. It was normally inaccurate. But if he took a bit of time and only fired a seed or two, he could give himself a respectable marksmanship with it. He caused one of the ropes holding Lilli down to snap. That gave the Lucario enough movement to pull out her hand spike and get fully free herself.

"Seems you've made a mistake," Lilli said. But she did not retaliate. Instead, she went towards the room where they ate.

Gala huffed in annoyance, but followed soon after.

At the meal, Lilli wound up by Trey without the Grovyle really noticing. "You snapped the ropes for me, didn't you?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," he replied. "How did you figure that?"

"You're the only one of us who uses Bullet Seed. Simple enough. I don't think Gala's figured it out though."

"Ah. Sorry about this morning. Master Bubbles asked me to get you up, but I didn't want to find a fist in my face for a response."

"An understandable reluctance." She smiled and Trey knew Lilli would back him up if Gala got them in trouble.

After the meal, Bubbles took Trey into one of the training rooms. "It may come as a surprise, but I've worked with one of your kind before," she told him. "You've learned to use the leaves on your arms as weapons. I want to see you add some distance to your leaf attacks."

"I won't be able to add too much distance," he pointed out. "Leaves are a light weight material and the force won't be as great."

"True. But even a distance of an extra step or two can give a great advantage." She then began drilling him on how to blend Razor Leaf with Quick Attack.

After that, he got paired with Lilli for sparring practice. Normally, Trey didn't like that set-up; he had a difficult time doing decent damage to the part-Steel type. But they got to chatting more than actually fighting, so it wasn't so bad.

"You know, I haven't spent much time with any group in this place," Lilli said at one point. "People are nice, to a point. But it seems impossible to make any friends, so I never feel like sticking around any of the groups."

"I've only been in this group, but I can see what you mean," Trey replied. "Everyone's so defensive."

She nodded. "I know we have to be cautious, but it gets ridiculous."

Once the cycle's practices and lessons were over, the clan members got free time to do what they liked. A few kept training while others played games with other groups. Most cycles, Trey spent this free time reading. This time, he chatted with Lilli, playing checkers with her. It was the first time where Trey didn't feel quite so lonely. His friends were still dead… but at least he had a new one.

At the end of the cycle, Bubbles called the group together. "We've been given a mission to carry out next cycle," she informed them. "There is a group in Dusk Forest that is carrying out unethical experiments on the wild Pokmeon of that dungeon. We do not know if they are connected to Primal Dialga or not, but we must stop their cruel experiments. I want us to go in pairs this time. Konga and Gala, Lilli and Trey, and Scepta coming with me." She then went into the details known about the group.

* * *

Mew and Mewtwo were traveling over the ocean. Unfortunately, teleporting the distance needed was out of the question in this era of darkness. The pair could manage themselves with telekinesis, but had to equip themselves lightly in order to go that distance. "You're wary of entering the human lands again," Mew noted.

Mewtwo scowled. "Of course I am."

"They must be suffering from this darkness as well," she said. "Despite all their technology, much of it depends on time and they don't realize it. At least, they didn't. I wonder what they've done without it."

"I still can't believe that the only person we found with that talent had to be a human," Mewtwo grumbled.

"It would be easier with a Pokemon," Mew agreed. "And we wouldn't have to risk the sea voyage back. But, that's how things go."

A bolt of unexpected lightning lit up the frozen waves below. In that moment of illumination, they caught a shadow outline of a large bird Pokemon high in the sky. Mewtwo swore under his breath. Back when the sun was in the sky, they would have sensed him coming from miles away. Under this darkness, they still could not sense Primal Zapdos even when they could see his form. And they couldn't even telepath each other when they were right next to each other, this because their powers were focused on the telekinesis.

Mew stopped abruptly, causing Mewtwo to do the same. They waited motionless for a moment. Above them, Primal Zapdos lit himself up with sparks from his wings. They died off, leaving the sky dark again… then lit up again as he flapped his wings and started circling. Another lightning bolt struck the ocean, but not near them. Primal Zapdos made several circles around the area, then decided they weren't actually there. He went back to flying wherever he had been heading originally.

The two of them waited until the sparks in the sky were at a sufficient distance away. "It's almost good that they didn't retain their full intelligence," Mewtwo grumbled as they set off once again.

* * *

As they left the underground base, Gala came over to Trey. "Hey, make sure your partner doesn't go off flirting with any of the wild ones," she said cheekily, then hopped off with a cackle.

The Lucario grimaced at that. Trey asked, "What was that about?"

"Dumb thing that happened long ago," Lilli replied as they made their own path towards Dusk Forest. "I was born in the time of the sun, of course, and even evolved before the darkness. But when the chaos of the planet's paralysis happened, many civilized towns were scattered."

"What about Treasure Town?" Trey interrupted.

"That place? Dialga descended upon that town first and killed everyone there."

He felt his heart drop into his stomach. "Everyone?"

"We don't know why, but that's what happened. Anyhow, I lost all of my civilized friends. I wound up staying with a wild Meditite. He was nice, but I could never get him civilized. And then we… well, nobody will let me live that down now." She appeared rather distracted in thought, an unusal thing for her.

Despite getting the nasty shock about the fate of Treasure Town, Trey felt a bit of sympathy for Lilli. There were the civilized Pokemon, blessed with language and laws, and then there were the wild Pokemon, unable to learn what the civilized knew. It was considered taboo to have anything other than a temporary relationship with a wild Pokemon, especially if it was made up of anything deeper than simple cooperation. "I can't relate entirely to that," Trey admitted. "But I was born half-wild and made civilized. That kind of thing, others will be tough on you for no adequate reason."

The relaxing of her ears showed that she appreciated the acceptance. "The wild ones are Pokemon too, and deserve respect. And besides, at least they're not primals." After a pause, she corrected, "Not all of them."

When they got to Dusk Forest itself, they stopped talking. They knew where the group was located, but there could be scouts about. Lucario and Grovyle snuck through the thick forest, making not a sound. There was an strange low light surrounding the trees, like a permanent dusk in the darkness. While he should have been paying attention, Trey's mind kept drifting. Treasure Town was gone… he didn't want to believe that, but Lilli had stated it so simply, like fact that couldn't be denied.

His teammate stopped, so Trey focused on the area. There was a glow of light; in this era of darkness, it had to be a gathering of Pokemon. Coming closer, they saw two Pokemon that were part of the group they were assigned to take down. A third was just out of the reach of the glowing crystal providing the light, snapping a skull into tiny pieces. That kind of behavior was an indication that the individual might be a Primal, the senseless continued destruction of a fallen foe.

Trey felt a squirm of nervousness. If these three were Primals, he and Lilli were to kill them. Although Bubbles had bluntly said that the clan were assassins, Trey hadn't been ordered to do something like that yet. Could he manage this?

The two who were talking were examining a blue Orb. "Does it work as planned?"

"We've been testing it on wild ones. So far, it has a seventy percent success rate."

"That's far less than other Orbs."

"Yes, but Master Dialga is asking for something incredible. Making others feel as we do is harder than it sounds."

So they were Primals, working for the Primal leader directly. 'They're insane Pokemon,' Trey told himself. 'They're like the outlaws caught up in the darkness, but much worse. They would torture and kill you without thought. They're a mockery of civilized Pokemon.'

Lilli gripped his arm and nodded to him. Trey nodded back, feeling reassured. Without a word, he knew what the older Pokemon was telling him. This would be hard, but they had to do this. They moved in. Trey went over to the one destroying the skull. It was easier for him to see that one as Primal than the two who had been speaking.

In a moment, they were caught in battle. Lilli had punched the one with the mysterious Orb. Trey went in and struck the third. The second then snatched the Orb and smashed it on the ground. It released a plume of black smoke. However, it was neither thick nor obscuring.

Kill them; they're like Bloody Claw, killers and torturers.

Trey grimaced, but caught the darkness before it overwhelmed him. So they had an Orb now that sharpened the call of the darkness? It would help them gather more Primals.

Before he could continue that thought, he heard Lilli scream. Then, blindingly fast, the Lucario killed both of her targets, then fired a large glowing orb at Trey and the third Primal. Trey managed to jump aside, while the third Primal was knocked into a tree and killed. Then she narrowed her eyes at Trey. "You were laughing at me," she growled.

"What are you talking about, Lilli?" Trey asked, hoping he could calm his friend down.

She clenched her fists. "I shouldn't have told you about Medicham. Now you're laughing at me too. You didn't say anything the whole time we were coming here… you were laughing at me!" She fired another Aura Sphere at Trey.

He dodged, just barely. 'Too slow,' he heard an echo in his mind. 'You should show her,' another taunted. Trey forced himself to ignore them both. "No I wasn't. I came from Treasure Town and I was shocked to hear about…"

"Stop lying!" she growled with a darker tone, as Primal Pokemon often did when angered. She rushed at Trey to punch him.

After everything had quieted, Bubbles and Scepta found the camp site. Four white skeletons lay on the ground; in this era, something called the silver curse devoured fresh corpses, leaving just the bones. Trey was still there, trembling in nervousness and battered down to near-collapse. "There were four?" Bubbles asked.

"Three," he corrected. "They… they were developing an Orb which turns victims into Primals. Lilli got hit by it and killed the three targets."

"This is not a good development," Scepta noted.

The Castform came over to Trey and nosed him on the shoulder. "You did what you had to. I'm ordering you to stand down for a few cycles and speak to the clerics."

He bowed his head. "Yes, Master."

* * *

Days were impossible to measure. But there was a routine with the ninja clan led by Bubbles. The Castform would train Trey while the others were training with each other, then switch to another of her students. They held races in which he was really pushed to move faster, quieter, and more efficiently. They broke for a meal (which was as bland as Celebi said, but Trey was often hungry enough that he didn't care) and discussion of anything but battling. Then they practiced sparring by splitting up into twos or threes. Then there was practice of stealth by trying to sneak up on each other. Then there was a free time where he studied the books the clan had. Then there was sleep. Then it started all over again.

The main unpredictable thing was Celebi herself. Apparently, no group in the rebellion could tell when, where, or why she would show up. She would just be there, observing and cheering for everybody. Sometimes she passed along news or requests. She always seemed to be doing something. She also seemed to be avoiding Trey.

It concerned him from time to time, as he was sure Shaelin wanted him to be a more supportive supporter. But he didn't see a way to get her to open up to him when she was such a wild card. And if she didn't want to be around him (probably because he reminded her of why Shaelin died), it would work against him if he tried to talk when she didn't want to.

However, Trey still felt lonely, despite all the Pokemon around him. The clan was good; they were teaching him skills, pushing his strategies, and helping him to become a much more effective fighter than before. Konga the Sneasel even helped him unwittingly, by making Trey find better ways to mentally combat his inner darkness so he could deal with the Dark type every cycle. But they weren't really close, nothing like Team Marmalade had been like. He didn't even want to think about Lilli's fate.

On top of that, every cycle seemed to be exactly the same. Pokemon spoke of a major battle coming up, or in the works, or asking when it would be. But it never seemed to materialize.

At least, not yet.

* * *

Mew and Mewtwo entered the settlement. It had been destroyed. Fires still crackled and sent off smoke, which hung in the air to never fully go away. How long had those fires been blazing? It was impossible to tell; the ashes hung like fog in the air.

"Ah crud," Mewtwo said. "The Primals got here before us."

"Our target is still alive, though," Mew said. "Let's go."

They moved along the outer rim of the smoke filled area; any human who was still in there was probably dead from inhaling the filthy air. After going halfway around, they saw actual movement. Kneeling by the side of the road, there was a little girl. She seemed to be seven, although true age was difficult to determine when time did not exist. The albino girl wore ashy clothes, of a white blouse and a plaid blue and green skirt. With the way she was wheezing, she shouldn't have been anywhere near the smoke domed town.

"That's her," Mew said, flying over to cast a spell that eased the girl's breathing.

"How reassuring," he said sarcastically to himself.

"It's okay, dear, we'll help you now," Mew told her, as she tugged at her to get away from the smoke area.

The girl jerked her hand away and made several movements. Her blue eyes, lighter in color than the two feline Pokemon's deep blue eyes, looked between them. Seemingly, she was looking for understanding.

Mew looked stumped. "Oh, she's deaf… it's going to be an awful lot of trouble to use telepathy."

"Then don't," Mewtwo said. "She's looking for her mother." He signed to her that she was dead.

The girl started crying. She shook her head and balled up her fists. She wasn't going to believe that. At least she showed some spirit.

"Mewtwo, what did you tell her?" Mew asked sharply.

"The truth, most likely," he said, looking into the ruined town.

"She's just a little girl. Well then, tell her that her parents sent us to protect her."

"That isn't the truth. And besides, she's probably mentally not a little girl."

"It'll make her feel better than what you just told her."

"Fine." He moved his hand to get the girl's attention, then gave her the message Mew wanted to tell her.

She sniffed and looked between them again. "Really?" she signed.

"Really," he signed back. "I'm called Mewtwo, and this is Mew. What are you called?"

In five motions, she gave him her name.

"Her name is Sally," Mewtwo told Mew.


	16. How Do You Judge Years in a Place of No Time?

Pokemon came and left the clan under Bubbles, but Trey remained there. Gala had left, seeking out a more power-oriented group. There were three others who were now junior to Trey, and yet another had joined and quit. Despite the turnover, some remained with them. Scepta seemed to have some old friendship with the Castform, so she was always there. And Konga remained, teasing and making sarcastic reviews of everyone else. Trey respected his ninja master, and so he would remain.

Over one meal time, a new member in Will the Mawile poked at him. "Hey spacey, what's going on?"

Trey batted his hand away. "I'm just thinking, that's all."

"You seem to be thinking all the time."

"That's because he is more intelligent than you," Bubbles said casually.

Konga snickered, causing Will to blush. "Well it's no good thinking about stuff if you don't do anything about it," the Mawile protested.

"Well there's also the problem of if what you're thinking about can't be addressed immediately," the Grovyle said. "I was trying to figure out how many cycles I've been here. I was keeping pretty good track for a while there, I think, but somehow it's all gotten muddled."

"Careful thinking on that one too deeply," another new member, a Zangoose named Zachery said. "You don't want to end up like Xavier did."

"Who's that?" Trey looked over to Zachery curiously. He hadn't heard of the name.

"He was a Xatu who was one of the first to join Celebi in rebelling against Primal Dialga's mad reign," Bubbles recalled, her eyes somewhat distant as she thought of him. "He argued that Time itself couldn't really be stopped, as time is merely the motions of those in space from moment to moment. I don't remember his arguments exactly, as they were a little over my head."

"He was going to prove this by making marks in the front hall to record the passing cycles," Zachery continued. "It seemed simple and reliable, but on the cycle after he started, it was apparent that it wasn't so. The mark he had made was gone. So he made another mark, and by the next cycle, it was gone too. Xavier grew more and more frustrated until he finally lashed out at some Primals in a battle about the failure of his experiment. His teammates were able to calm him down enough to bring him back to base safely.

"But when they got back, they found hundreds of Xavier's cycle notations all over the front hallway. The poor Xatu lost it at that point and eventually became a Primal himself. Weird thing is," Zachery pointed out the door that separated their clan's area from the rest of the base, "if you go out in the front hall, Xavier's marks are still there. But they are never consistent. The changes from cycle to cycle are inconsistent due to the corruption of Time."

"That is completely illogical," Trey pointed out.

"Well Primal Dialga is not ruled by logic," Zachery countered.

"At any rate," Bubbles said, "we ought to be grateful to Celebi that we can exist in any semblence of routine at all. If the original Dialga alone ruled all aspects of Time, then we would be living under total chaos, or total paralysis, under Primal Dialga. But he didn't; the original Dialga allowed Celebi to have some control over Time."

"She's a time traveler though, isn't she?" Trey asked.

The Castform bobbed in agreement. "Yes, so she did not live by an ordinary routine of day to night. She lived by a cycle of when she was asleep or awake. Thus, she couldn't fully bring the sun back to the sky. But the routine of the cycles, at least, I am thankful for."

No matter how strange it was, they had to agree with that.

* * *

Mewtwo looked over the devices he had made one last time. Then he handed them to Sally. "This is a hearing aid," he signed to her. "It goes in your ear. With the operation I gave you, you will be able to hear." Since she had been deaf from birth, her mind didn't have enough structure to translate what she heard. In the guarded space of the abandoned university, he was able to use his telepathic powers to carefully pass on enough data so that she could hear, even understand speech.

Sally looked over the two pieces, so Mewtwo showed her how to place them in her ears. They hooked over her ear so that the main part hung behind it. Once both were in place and on, he said, "And that's how it goes."

She smiled, then signed, "I heard you."

Somewhat against himself, he smiled back. "That's right, you did."

"Mewtwo!" Mew appeared in the room. "How's it going?"

"Everything's working so far," he told her.

Sally pointed to her ears, then hopped around in a little circle.

"Did you want to listen to some music?" Mew asked. "We can let you if you like. The two of us have to talk privately, though." She gave Mewtwo a look.

Sally nodded, so they let the little girl play around with a music program on a computer. In another room (where they could keep an eye and ear out for her), Mewtwo asked, "So what's the deal?"

"Have you noticed that she's growing?" Mew asked back.

"She is a few inches taller," he agreed. "It doesn't make sense. Without time running, there should be no changes to anyone. Some Pokemon have managed to evolve with extraordinary means, but no eggs have hatched. This girl should not be growing."

"And she doesn't remember the sun. It looks like she was born in this era of darkness."

"Which should be impossible." Mewtwo rubbed his chin. "And her talent… I would suspect she's under the influence of Giratina's power."

"We might want to find him and see what he had in mind. Anyhow, I have to go back to the rebel base. I want you to stay here with Sally."

"What? You're not taking her?"

"It's more dangerous over there; you know that. And she hasn't had any training to defend herself, or fight back. But you can handle that."

Mewtwo held up his hands. "Wait, are you sure about this? We've agreed that her Dimensional Scream is important to finding the way to defeat this endless unchanging, but you're going to leave me alone to protect her?"

She gave him a blank look, which he knew now to be the false one when she was playing dumb. "What's the matter with that? In a battle, you're more powerful than me. If this place gets attacked, you'd be better at protecting and hiding her, then finding another safe place."

He checked over to make sure that Sally wasn't paying attention, then spoke quieter anyhow. "But I've been drawn into the darkness before, almost to the point of being irredeemable. You know how it's been badgering me to join the Primals. I could be the most dangerous Pokemon to be around her if I slipped and you want to leave me alone with her?"

"But you wouldn't hurt her," Mew said.

"So long as the darkness didn't get me, yes," he admitted.

She came closer and patted his nose. "And you know personally how dangerous the darkness is, so you work harder to avoid it. I trust you, Mewtwo. And I feel that you are the best one to protect, teach, and train Sally. Celebi and the rebels need me over there; some of them don't entirely trust you. So it's best you stay here and keep the both of you unnoticed."

"You trust me that much?"

"Yes." Her eyes showed no sign of a lie.

Mewtwo looked aside. "You know, I hate myself if I don't live up to your expectations."

"Don't worry so much. Just take it one day at a time. Or one cycle until we can get a day back."

"Fine. Take care of yourself."

"You too, and Sally." She drifted back and waved to him. "But you do have to help me tell her that I'm going."

"She won't like that, but fine."

* * *

Trey moved carefully around the column. He listened for the barely there footsteps that were coming through the room. Through that, he was able to stay hidden. Once his mark seemed to be in a good position, he peered around to check. The Mawile was pausing, looking for him. The Grovyle sprang out and tackled him from behind, knocking the Mawile to the ground. "Gotcha, Will."

"Aw 'mon, you made me fail." His eyes became watery. "Could you give me a break every now and then?"

Trey kept his hand on the Mawile's oversized steel jaws, to keep them from snapping at him. "No. You're dead."

"He's right," Bubbles said over the intercom. "You would be dead now. Come on out, you two."

"I've got to train harder," Will said, brushing off his fake tears. He started out for the exit.

"You could work better as a trapper," Trey suggested, brushing his hand along his head leaf. "Find a good spot to hide and…" he sensed that something wasn't right. However, he kept cool and spoke without missing a beat. "…snap those jaws out when a passerby least expects it."

"Maybe," Will said, not terribly convinced. "You'd have to get a team to pull that off."

A team… Trey felt a twinge and noticed the brush of the friendship bracelet on his arm. But right then, he caught sight of a movement. He reacted by diving down, just in time for Scepta the Scizor to miss with her initial strike from behind another column. Trey snatched at her ankles as she went to correct her balance. Succeeding, he threw her into the center of the room; he had an advantage if he was near the walls.

Scepta landed a bit off, making a steel clatter as she landed. Will spun around, keeping his oversized jaws between him and the noise. In a moment, the Scizor twisted about, then rushed at them. Knowing that his leaf blades would do little to her exoskeleton, Trey sent a quickly but accurately aimed Bullet Seed attack at a shoulder joint in that skeleton. One of the small seeds got stuck, impeding the movement of that arm, thus taking one of her deadly vise claws out of use. She went to punch him in the jaw. It was probably a feint to hit something more vital, so he went…

No. Another movement showed that Will had faked his startlement and was going to use Scepta's attack to catch Trey in a damaging cross hit. The Grovyle changed his plans and dug into the ground. Scepta and Will's attacks met in a noisy clatter of steel meeting steel.

That was one disadvantage the Steel types had trying to be ninjas, Trey thought. They risked too much noise using their heftier natural weapons. Scepta was good most of the time, he considered. Will would be sent to another unit, though. The noise wasn't his only problem.

From the vibrations he felt, he concluded that Scepta had knocked out Will. However, Trey suspected that their leader Bubbles was somewhere in the mini dungeon as well. This was too much of an orchestrated attack for her not to be. Or to not have another member in her place. He had to figure out which. He moved through the dirt and came out behind Scepta to strike her wings with Stun Spore. She had to keep her wings moving in a close-quarters battle, or else her body would overheat. If he got her partially stunned, she would have to back off and rely on her less skilled distance attacks.

Trey then snatched an orb from his bag and threw it hard near Scepta's feet. It burst into a plume of fire. She backed up, as expected. A rain shower abruptly started.

Bingo, Trey thought. It had to be Bubbles.

She was small though, and could hide in nooks that none of the others could get into. Trey waited. Scepta threw an Iron Spike at him, low to his knees. Snatching it out of the air, he threw it right back at her ankles. A toss match like this in the clan could go on for many rounds until someone slipped, or…

The weather turned stilfing hot, making the rainwater hiss into steam. Scepta got struck with a fire imbued Weather Ball. That betrayed Bubbles' location. Trey rushed to the side and threw Energy Ball at the Castform. He didn't get to see if it hit, as he got knocked out be another fire Weather Ball.

When Trey woke back up, his first thought was that battles like that were why he respected his clan peers, but did not feel comradery with them like he had with Team Marmalade. If he ever fought against Stacy or Sally, it was a mock battle, for fun, not this serious and tough practice. If he fought with Kip… well, there was a time or two that it was to knock some sense into the Skitty's head after he'd slipped up. Otherwise, he knew that all of Kip's teases, taunts, and boasts were to push the rest into putting forth more effort. The clan took the Guild's methods and removed any friendship from them.

In fact, no one got truly personal here.

* * *

Mewtwo had been training Sally… he wasn't sure how long, but it had been many cycles. It was long enough that she was turning into a teenager instead of a child. Eleven or twelve years old, he had to guess. There were some obstacles. Her only psychic power was the Dimensional Scream, which he had to help her endure and understand. Beyond that, she had to rely on physical non-typed attacks. That was something that he only used in emergencies when no other option was available. And being a human, those simple attacks weren't all that powerful compared to what Pokemon could conjure up.

But he had plans for that.

He attached a pair of sleeves to Sally's arms. They had been made with advanced technology that he had found in the university's computers. "I made this armor specifically for you, only for you. It should never fail you."

Once he let go, she turned her arms, then signed, "They are a little heavy."

"You'll get used to it as you build up some more muscles. Now, this keypad here activates the various modes of your armor. We'll start with the regular and offline modes." He gave her the instructions for turning the regular mode on.

It immediately formed a skin tight bright green armor to encase her skin. She looked a little startled, then moved her arms around.

"Nanomachines form the material. They should resist electrical attacks and other things that would disrupt electronics. I'll be adapting your air purifier and hearing aids to match the armor."

She smiled, then signed, "I'll be like a superhero."

That made him chuckle. "That's right, Sally. You'll be a hero to everybody."

* * *

Celebi was here today, with her usual mask of cheer and prattling joy. It seemed to encourage the others. But Trey often wondered if they knew that it was an act. To be honest, he only knew because he had been there when Shaelin had died.

There was a moment where he wound up in a room with just Celebi. Bubbles had gone off to find something and the others were sparring. Trey had been reading. He looked over to Celebi, who watched an imitation of a fire in a fireplace. They couldn't have the real thing, as the smoke would never go away.

"I hate this time," Trey said.

"Huh?" Celebi seemed startled, like she hadn't realized that he was there. "Why's that, Trey?"

"We're all living together, but everyone is so isolated.."

"Oh." She thought, then said, "I guess it's a defensive measure. Everybody has lost friends and family, both to death and things worse than death."

"I told Shaelin that I'd support you," he told her. "But you're never around, so I feel like I'm failing my promise to her."

"Oh, well," her pink skin seemed to darken.

"I found it," Bubbles' voice called. She did that to warn of her coming in a room, that is, if she wasn't trying to defeat everyone in the mini-dungeon.

Celebi recovered remarkably quick and was back to the usual bubbly self. Trey went back to reading. Hopefully, that had done something.

* * *

Mewtwo and Sally were traveling down a road. He had an orb of Flash following them around, giving them light. While it gave them some risk of being caught, Mewtwo was walking, so his senses could be more alert to any who approached.

"There's a couple of humans coming down the road," he told Sally.

She looked to him, interested. She seemed to be about fourteen now. Although he had encouraged her to keep her hair short, she wanted it to be long, like her mother's hair. She was on the pretty side, although he wasn't all that good of a judge on human attractiveness. Still, she hadn't encountered another human since she was a child. Mewtwo felt that he would have to be careful.

Two young men came running down the road behind them. There was an Asian who had two daggers out, with another short blade hanging on his belt. The other was a tall blond Caucasian who had the build of a kickboxer. "Hold it!" the Asian called out. "Release the girl, Pokemon!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Mewtwo replied, "She's with me willingly, as my ward."

The two guys paused. "Wait, you speak English?" the Caucasian asked.

"Yes," he replied, letting some irritation show. "Now if you'll leave us be, we have important business to attend to."

Sally signed, "He's my guardian," but unfortunately these two wouldn't know the language of the deaf.

"Wait, we still can't let you go," the Caucasian said firmly. "You Pokemon are the cause for the paralysis of our world and you have to answer for it."

"It wasn't my doing," Mewtwo pointed out. Sally nodded, trying to be helpful. "I don't know who exactly caused all this, whether it be human or Pokemon, but I know the ones who can undo it."

In particular, there was a plan to make Celebi the new Master of Time. She already was a time traveler and knew the secrets of the flow of time. Using the Dimensional Scream, Sally was to confirm how time itself had corrupted. With that information, they would arrange for Celebi to take all of the powers of time, then they fix whatever was wrong while she did her best to remain sane. It might end in the death of Dialga, for which they might have some trouble with Palkia and Giratina. But it was their best hope right now.

"What proof do you have that you're not responsible?" the Asian dared him.

He shook his head. "I know you're trying to trap me. There's nothing I could do to prove it to you. Perhaps the fact that I haven't knocked both of you out flat is proof that we don't mean any harm to you."

"You're bluffing."

Thoroughly annoyed, Mewtwo cast his hand out and blasted a nearby boulder to millions of pebbles. "Would you call that a bluff?"

Then Sally tapped him on the shoulder. "We have to get there before the entrance moves again," she reminded him silently.

"Right, we do." After taming his temper down, he looked back at the two young men. "We really must be moving on. You would be wise to do so yourselves."

The Caucasian came up and tried to grab Sally. "Wait, we haven't heard from her yet…"

Sally punched him in the gut, then shoved him away from her.

"That's because she can't speak," Mewtwo told him. "But she has other ways of letting people know how she feels. Next time we meet, we might not be so polite."

The two men were reluctant to give in, but even armed as they were, they didn't feel like battling against a powerful Pokemon and a girl in a power suit. They went back the way they had come and Mewtwo and Sally went on.

Eventually, they came across a patch of road that was different. It shimmered in a strange way, like a misplaced heat blur. Mewtwo checked it out, then nodded. "This is an entrance to the World Abyss. We'll be heading inside."

"What's in there?" Sally signed.

"Giratina, the Master of Dimensions." He put his hand to his chin, then waved it through the shimmer. "Many eras ago, Giratina was a well-known legendary Pokemon, but for all the wrong reasons. He was violent and loved battling more than anything else. In a time of peace, he wanted war. In a time of war, he caused the greatest number of deaths and even rendered a large area unsuitable for life for decades after. This was before my time, but the legendary Pokemon, with the help of some heroes, managed to capture Giratina. Arceus acted as judge for his trial. At the end of it, he was banished to the World Abyss and imprisoned there."

"Is he a bad Pokemon?" Sally asked, looking worried.

"He was foolish and violent, but not entirely bad." Metwo paused, then added, "I was once the same way, and I was punished as well. Not as drastically, for I never caused the amount of damage and death that he did. But in the time I was imprisoned, I came to see that not everyone is perfectly bad, nor is anyone perfectly good. Still, I feel cheated in that this era of darkness fell right as my punishment had ended… anyhow, we'll be fine meeting with Giratina. He, and others, have been free to come and go from World Abyss, yet he remains in there of his own free will."

She signed an affirmation, indicating that she was ready now. They entered the shimmering spot and found themselves transported into the World Abyss. A strange place, it appeared to have twinkling stars embedded in the floors and the ceilings. The walls were made of a strange material, like an airy wood where the fibers glowed in many colors. It was almost like they had walked into another world.

After thirty long floors, they came upon the final room. It was an enourmous room, but there was no one there. Instead, there was a life-sized marble statue of Giratina in the middle of the floor, standing there and looking contemplative. He has six thick legs and seemed like a tough Pokmeon, even just in this imitation of him.

"Well, this isn't much help," Mewtwo said. He went closer to examine the statue. "He wasn't petrified; this is just a statue. Would you try touching it, though? Your power is a blessing from Giratina. If he wanted to leave you a message, it would be through this."

Sally nodded, then came over and placed both hands on the statue. The vision came rather quickly, causing her to grimace and nearly fall over. Brushing off a twinge of worry, Mewtwo put his hand on her shoulder and waited. It was a long time, it seemed, until she was able to bring her mind back to where they were in the present. She brought her hand up to sign something, stopped, then put her right hand over his eyes.

Immediately, the vision she had seen transferred to Mewtwo.

Giratina was in the room they were in, standing before a large assortment of colored strings. As the Ghost Dragon looked over this, he began speaking. "Sally, listen well… and you too, Mewtwo. I have spent a great deal of time trying to interpret the events occurring to plunge the world into darkness and paralysis. But, as you may see, it's a total mess. We're dealing with multiple time travelers, all with different motives and goals.

"One began the process. I have not managed to identify that one, but it sabatoged Temporal Tower, where my brother Dialga resides. This troublemaker is responsible for many other knots in the time line and I can't make sense out of the actions.

"Then we have Celebi's motions through time. You will discover these when you find her. I sense some power from Mewtwo in these actions as well, which is how I identified him being with you now. There is another working with you in this; you will meet him.

"Then we have Primal Dialga's affects on time. He has come into a paranoid sense of self-preservation, which means that he is actively working to keep history as it is. There are others working with him in this too; be wary of them when you encounter them.

"Finally, to my surprise, I found Dialga prior to the collapse of his Tower causing effects through time. This was likely a last-ditch effort to keep Time from corrupting. Although it seems like a failed effort, don't give up hope. This effort of Dialga's gave me a message; he is trying to use the first time traveler's mess to hide his efforts to clean it up. It also gave me some leeway. And thus, I was able to use some of my power to help him. I did so by reaching into the Dimensional Wastes, where those who try to cheat Time and Space are often lost, to find a soul that remained whole. I found you and brought you back into life.

"I was able to open up enough room for change to allow you to be born and to grow into your talents. What you do with your power is up to you. However, I would hope that you use it to help the original Dialga and Celebi to save this world from the madness it is living under.

"I have done a few other things, primarily to keep Primal Dialga from inadvertently causing the complete destruction of everything. He seeks to kill me and our sister Palkia. If he manages to get rid of either of us, everything falls apart. Thus, I have sealed off Spacial Rift and I will soon seek my own place to hide. Unfortunately, we cannot risk the total destruction to stop him ourselves.

"Should the need come… and if Celebi can do it successfully, we may have to assure that she comes in to replace Dialga as the Master of Time. If there's any way to get through this without killing my brother, please try that first."

Giratina then sighed and lowered his head.

"I hate time travel," he muttered. "It makes things so messy. Sally, I wish you the best. I have done all that I can to help you now. Please save my brother and us all."

Once Mewtwo had seen the whole thing, he took her hand. "Then the next thing to do would be to cross the ocean and meet with Celebi."

Sally nodded, distracted. "We still don't know why it had to be me," she signed.

"At this point, the why doesn't matter. You're here and you have the power that could help save our world." She didn't look too convinced, so he added, "Trust me, I know how you feel. We can't know why we were made the way we were. Going down that path only leads to more questions, not answers. We must make the most of the life given to us. That's what Mew taught me, even though she has existed for as long as this world has."

"That makes sense," she signed. Then she looked him in the eyes and smiled. "We should go across the ocean now."

He smiled back. "Well first, we need to find a boat."


	17. The Battle of Amp Plains

To the surprise of everyone, there came a meeting of all the Pokemon in the rebellion base. They gathered in a room that Trey had never been in before, a cavernous space with barely enough room for their forces. The ninja clan of Bubbles opted to come in from above and sit on one of the ceiling supports. Trey used the grips on his paws to hang to the bottom of the support. He was perfectly fine and could move in a flash in case something happened.

Celebi and Mew were at the front of the room, hovering by a grand sunburst seal, the sign of Arceus. Although Trey spotted two other legendaries in the crowd, he didn't see Mewtwo. He wondered where that one was. Mewtwo was one of their powerhouses, a master of many attacks who could reportedly use a standard attack and knock a foe down senseless with it. There were also stories that he had leveled a settlement much larger than Treasure Town, all on his own. That made fewer Pokemon trust him, but he had already been punished for that. From the numbers and variety he saw, they could probably make due without him. Still, it would have been reassuring if Mewtwo had been here too.

Mew called for attention, silencing the room. "All of you, we want to say thanks for your tireless training and efforts to improve yourselves over the many cycles we have been gathered. We are now prepared to bring an assault to Primal Dialga's stronghold of Temporal Tower."

There were boisterous cheers and whistles from around the room, but Mew quieted them with a flick of her tail.

"We have had some logistical issues before in that Temporal Tower lies across the Sea of Time, a place that few are allowed to cross. However, Celebi has granted us a way to bring Temporal Tower to the battlefield of our choosing. We are currently looking at potential locations. It is a complex prospect, as we have to consider the many varied abilities and types that we have in attendance."

At that, Trey looked to Celebi. He saw her wince, then look up to him. She gave him a slight real smile through her emotional mask, but then went back into her safety zone as a cheerleader for their army.

"We hope to be able to deploy everyone for this battle. We cannot stretch this out any further, or hold back our strength for a future battle as we have before. We must strike hard and we must strike soon. It was our hope to find a less violent way of ending Primal Dialga's reign, but recent activity of our oppressor has convinced us that we cannot afford to wait. It has been said that Primal Dialga shows streaks of calm in his madness, but according to our spies, that is happening less and less with his psychotic episodes occurring more frequently and more harshly. We will try to plan for avoiding his deepest madness, but that cannot be guaranteed. This is a risk, but are you willing to take it?"

"YES!" came many cheers from across the room and above Trey with the ninja clan and a dozen or so flying units. However, Trey couldn't repress a feeling of unease in this battle plan. He felt that the whole thing could be a disaster.

* * *

 "Trey? What are you doing out here?"

"Being out here," he replied, looking up through motionless leaves at the endless black sky. "Not much better than being inside, but it's different."

Celebi floated up to a branch near him. He had noticed her approaching, but chose to do nothing about it. "You didn't seem too pleased at the meeting," she said.

"I think it's a bad idea."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've never been in a battle this large before. But it's not nervousness. This situation, it doesn't feel right."

"It feels like one of the major forks to me."

Trey looked over at her. "One of the what?"

"Forks, you know, like in a path. But this is a major fork in time, a very important event. Obviously it's important, but… when you time travel, every little decision is like a small fork in time. it effects things that comes later. But the major forks, if you go back and change them, create very different histories in their myriad paths. The battles that win or lose wars, the tragedy or not-tragedy that becomes a cornerstone of someone's life. You take a risk changing these major forks, so I never messed with them. Still, it makes me nervous whenever I find myself approaching one, not knowing what could happen."

"But you can't travel back in time now. Pity."

"There are ways still," Celebi said.

"So why don't you go and fix this world?"

Her antennas twitched in nervousness. "Even I don't know what will happen while changing history. I can get a general sense, so I could prevent this disaster… or I could bring about an even worse world than this."

"What could be worse than this place?" Trey grumbled.

"There are some nightmares…" she trailed off.

"I think this world is one of them," a third voice said.

Celebi tensed. "Who's there?"

"That's Konga," Trey said. "You didn't think I came out here alone, did you?"

The Sneasel hopped down to a branch in their view. "We're the only ones out here, though. Unless Bubbles is around. She'd be the only one who'd hide from both of us successfully."

Celebi smiled, looking more defensive knowing that someone else was there. "I'm pretty sure I left Bubbles doing some work on the plans for battle."

"One thing I don't get," Trey said, looking up at his clan peer, "is why you're on our side. I'd think a Dark type like you would go with the Primals."

Konga twitched his thin ears. "Most of the others have, yes, but they fell prey to the darkness. Not the Dark. That's two different things."

"What're you talking about?"

The Sneasel scrambled around the branches, winding up closer to Celebi. Reflexively, she leaned back, but then forced herself not to do that. "There is the darkness and the Dark. The darkness is the potential for everyone to be evil, drawn from the instincts for survival that go too far and become sins. It is one of the things that draws the wild magic, along with the purity, the potential for everyone to be selfless and good. Wild magic blesses both darkness and purity, since they both make it difficult to live a civilized life. Wild Pokemon are that way from darkness or purity, or even ignorance.

"The Dark though, the true meaning of my type, is not innately evil. The Dark is the trickster, the challenger. The Dark sees tactics that others say are dirty and says that they are perfectly legitimate." He scratched his head with his back paw. "Unfortunately, that leaves us quite weak to the call of the evil darkness. When you use any tactic that may be seen as unfair, it is doubly tempting to use a purely cruel tactic. But I keep my mind and heart to myself by seeking the purity of the Dark. I seek the light of the darkness."

The light of the darkness… that was something that Kip used to say about his mysterious treasure hunt. "I've heard that phrase before, but not from a Dark type," he said.

Konga leaned towards him, interested, while Celebi listened quietly. "Really, from a non-Dark? Did this one fight the inner darkness such as you do?"

"That's right, he did."

"Hmm." He seemed to groom himself for a moment, then said, "Maybe he got in too deep. Maybe he sought purity. Or maybe he had a Dark heritage and inherited a trickster streak."

Trey chuckled. "He was a trickster all right."

"I see being a trickster as being a challenger to others. There are some Pokemon that will work themselves to the bone to push themselves into improvement, but most Pokemon," he shook his head. "they would rather everything stay as it was, status quo. The trickster stirs things up for them. The trickster unsettles their status quo so that they have to work for it, thus improving themselves, hopefully making them push for beyond that status quo."

"You do seem to reserve your nastier tricks for when the rest of us stall on progress," Trey noted.

"I don't have to with you. You… you seem to have the closest heart to purity in the whole base, that of the mortals, at least. Yet you also have the darkness, and that struggle pushes you on more than I ever could."

"You think that about me?" Trey asked, looking over at Konga. The Grovyle was watching to see if he had sincerity.

And it seemed the Sneasel did. "Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have told you all this. In fact, the only thing I have to do to goad you on is simply train with you, as I seem to remind you of somebody unpleasant." Konga suddenly snickered, then hopped to another branch. "We'd best go back in. We don't want our beloved leader to get captured the night before the battle, right?"

"Oh, right," Celebi said, embarrassed. The three went back inside.

* * *

 By concentrating on her powers and drawing on what influence she had left over time, Celebi was able to transfer Temporal Tower from the Sea of Time to the wide open fields of what was formerly Amp Plains. At least, it looked like Amp Plains to Trey. And the broken down, in the middle of collapse, rugged stone tower was (he realized with a feeling of dread) the location he had first arrived at when dragged into the future. That place had been where his best friends had died.

The darkness struggled to come out in Trey's mind, but he kept it back. Yes he was doing this for revenge, but he wasn't going to lose himself to that revenge. It seemed like ages that he had been training for this moment, for this battle. It seemed almost unreal that they were all doing something so different, finally making good on their words.

As the rebels prepared themselves, a wave of Primals came out of the tower. They came not just from the door, but seeping through the holes and leaping out the cracks. Their force seemed smaller than the gathered rebels and it all seemed to be mortal Pokemon. No legendary Primals were to be seen.

But a roar filled the sky, intimidating all Pokemon on the field, both sane and Primal. Something white was thrown from the top of the tower. An avian skeleton clattered to the ground, scattering its bones across the field. But this avian Pokemon was huge.

"That was Zapdos!" Mew called out in horror.

Although he wasn't sure what incited it after that macabre challenge, the battle was swiftly in full chaos. There had been a plan; the ninja unit under Bubbles was to locate leaders and put them out of commission quickly. But as Trey watched, there seemed to be no leaders on the field for the Primals. They were all fighting on their own, zig-zagging through the rebels, sticking to no one foe. Rather, they caused as much chaos as they could, not even bothering to finish off foes brought close to unconsciousness.

A Primal Duskull came at him, so he jumped out of the way and struck the Ghost with Leaf Blade. It did not come back for revenge, but set after its next line-of-sight target. That did not seem typical of Primal battles. Other times he had encountered these insane Pokemon, they would focus on one target to the exlusion of all others, sometimes beating on the corpse long after it had died.

This chaos caused the rebels' strategies to break down. Their tactics came to be stopping the crazed Primals from their wild rampages and preserving themselves. Trey scrambled out of range of an Earthquake from one of his peers trying to stop three Primals. Then, there was another roar from Primal Dialga, this one longer, louder, and stronger.

You're a ninja now. You should go scale that tower and kill that horrible beast that destroyed your friends. Kill him and you kill them all…

And Celebi, Trey forced himself to think through the sudden sharp hiss from the darkness. He had promised his loyalty to Celebi. She was kept alive by her power, which was tied into Dialga's powers. Thus… he couldn't kill Primal Dialga.

But once his mind cleared, he had to dodge five successive attacks from five different foes. Trey darted around, trying to find a spot to observe from. As he kept getting attacked, he had to go underground to get a moment to think and observe. What was going on?

While he was underground, he heard fierce screams and shouts from all around him. The fight had gotten more savage. But not from more Primals coming from the Tower. The rebels were now fighting amongst each other. Why?

Revenge, the darkness hissed again.

Trey clutched his fists tight. The darkness. The Primals had stirred up the rebel forces and then their leader had empowered the darkness within everyone on the battlefield. So now, the rebels had fallen prey to their inner darkness and had turned Primal.

What about Celebi?

Feeling a sense of panic, the Grovyle shot out of the ground, quickly attacking a Golem who thought to attack him then. Trey then spun around, spotting an old passage gate (now useless) as the highest point in sight. He bolted for that vantage point, swerving out and around the attacks of others. Everyone seemed savage. None seemed to be fighting out of fear, or of any form of purpose. He saw a Kadabra get an Iron Spike jabbed straight through his head, getting killed instantly. That was only the first of five deaths he witnessed heading for the gate. It made his stomach churn, but he focused himself on finding Celebi. He had a promise to keep and he would do so.

When he got on top of the sparking gate, all he saw at first was savage chaos. It seemed like every Pokemon but him was trying to kill each other, no matter who they were. He caught sight of Bubbles killing Scepta, for goodness sakes, by taking advantage of an open wound to send fire past her tough exoskeleton and into her vital soft tissues. Then a Hariyama bashed Bubbles to the ground with two fists and stomped her flat.

Trey was unable to help himself. It made him sick to see this. While his head was whirling, he caught sight of one calm individual in the midst of this hell. Floating above the crowd, there was a phantom figure that blended in almost perfectly with the darkness. He had white hair spilling over his face and down his back; his eyes serenely glowed turquoise blue. He didn't touch anyone in the battle, and no one dared to touch him. He was simply observing in plain sight.

Why was that Pokemon so calm? Trey couldn't imagine the reason. He forced himself to look away from the stranger to find Celebi. This time, he spotted her with Mew, some distance from the gate. They seemed panicked, trying to talk about something while dodging attacks around them.

Trey bolted from the gate, heading for the two legends. More and more Pokemon fell around him, making him more of a target. Sometimes he had to throw off one pursuer by heading straight for another Primal. He kept checking the sky for signs of the two. They could, in a bad situation like this, make themselves almost unnoticed. Or so he had heard.

Just as he was thinking that he missed them, he saw Mew being hassled by seven Pokemon. Trey managed to Leaf Blade one before Mew zapped nearly every Pokemon within a large radius with Discharge. She only missed Celebi and Trey.

"Trey!" Celebi came down to him. "You endured that call."

He shot another Leaf Blade at a Primal that was getting dangerously close to noticing them. "I have things to do still."

"I don't think anyone else survived the call, though," Mew said, right before something big came flying at them. They got out of the way of the rampaging Gyarados. After a bit, she turned to Celebi. "We have to make the attempt now, or we might lose too many."

Still looking bewildered, Celebi nodded. "R-right. Trey, come with us."

The three of them headed for Temporal Tower, dodging attacks and trying to keep attention off themselves. Mew came over to Trey's side as they came out of the battle zone. "Primal Dialga is part Steel, part Dragon, so we're not the best team to face him. But we don't have a choice now. Keep his attention off Celebi while she assimilates the full power of Time. Once he's rendered less of a threat, I'll search for the instability and may have to send you into the Tower to fix something. If I can't find it, we'll have to hold off until Mewtwo and his ward gets back."

Trey nodded. "Okay. Just let me know what needs to be done. So what is the instability that led to the collapse?"

"I'm afraid that we didn't have time to confirm what exactly," Celebi admitted. "They know where our base is located now, which is why we had to call this before we were fully prepared…" the tone of regret was strong in her voice as her words trailed off.

"I pray for the mercy of Arceus for this mission to succeed," Mew added quietly.

Trey had barely heard her over the noise and chaos of the battle, even as it was now behind them. He felt that sense of doubt and unease again. If even their leaders had doubts, if even a legendary had to pray… no, they had to succeed. There would probably never be another chance.

Ahead of them, there was a shift in the air preceeding the appearance of Primal Dialga. He was a massive Pokemon; the two legends with Trey were both smaller than him, but the Master of Time was many times bigger than him. A ring like a sunburst encircled the middle of his torso, but this was not as welcoming as the sign of Arceus. A deep red gemstone was set on his chest. But this wasn't like the legendary Pokemon that had been lovingly illustrated in the books of the old days, Trey noticed. Primal Dialga was a dark blue and seemed to have harsher and sharper edges.

Primal Dialga growled at them. "CELEBI, MEW, YOU DARE DEFY ME?"

"You have lost your mind!" Mew shouted, flying at him and hitting him with a burst of fire that appeared around her body.

Their job was to keep his attention off Celebi. After checking to see that she was beginning to focus her powers, Trey ran over to join Mew. He gave them an edge by casting Agility, allowing all three of them to move and work faster. Or, as it turned out, to move at equal speed to Primal Dialga. He may have been large and bulky, but he was fast. He blasted Trey with a beam of light from his gem, then tried to bite at Mew. The tiny feline Pokemon then managed to call on an illusion of a Machamp, which struck Primal Dialga hard with its four powerful arms. In a fury, the corrupted legend screamed.

* * *

 

Far away in a distant land, Mewtwo was helping Sally by sparring with her. He tried to remain strict and firm as her teacher, but there was something about the match that reminded him of sparring against Mew. There was a touch of lightheartedness and pride that leaked into his composure when she was doing well.

Then he felt a distant scream in his mind, one of pain and finality. It jarred Mewtwo to his core. While all his Psychic connections had been muffled for goodness knows how long this darkness had settled, this one was as sharp and as clear as it had been when the sun was in the sky. And he knew exactly why that was.

Then Sally gave him a strong punch to the chest. He wasn't expecting it this time and got knocked down onto the sand. When he didn't immediately get back up, she ran over and gave him a look of concern. "Mewtwo, what's wrong?" she signed.

He felt a strong impulse to strike her without holding back. Nobody was supposed to do that to him. But Mewtwo held his darkness back. "They… he killed Mew."

While she was shocked, the darkness in Mewtwo's soul tried different tacts. He should go and destroy Dialga, whose fault it was for Mew's death. No, he needed to protect Sally and get her across the ocean. He should go, he could easily overpower any Primal, this whole plan with Sally was needless and unreliable.

"No," he said aloud. Mew had asked him to protect Sally. Mew had trusted him to do so. And since that was the last thing she had asked of him, he wouldn't fail.

When Sally knelt down and hugged him, Mewtwo realized that he was shaking.

* * *

 

Back at the battlefield, Celebi was frozen with fear as she saw Mew's broken body hit the ground. Trey was shocked as well, but then grew concerned. Having lost her focus, there was no chance now of Celebi taking over. Primal Dialga looked angrily at her, murderous intent showing in his eyes. Trey hit the Primal with a Stun Seed, then grabbed Celebi and ran back into the chaos of the battle.

"What…?" she started to ask and struggle.

"Shh," he hissed. "We can't lose you too."

All around them were the Pokemon that were struggling madly for survival. A few came after them, but then Primal Dialga gave off a horrific roar that rattled the fighters to their bones, all across the battlefield. Covering for Celebi the best he could, Trey dropped down and tried to hide among the fallen. More and more of the fighters were losing. But this battle didn't end in a safe unconsciousness. This battle ended in death.

In time, an unnerving thing happen. Silence began to grow. As the fights grew fewer, the screams and clashes grew less. Finally, a lone and badly injured Duskull killed a Milotic as she finished off a Steelix. It seemed to be the only other Pokemon left alive. Although Trey looked all over, he could not see that creepy phantom Pokemon from before. Perhaps it had been killed as well?

There was another mighty roar. Primal Dialga finally appeared at the battlefield itself. The Duskull hissed, but then a light from the corrupted legend hit him. He stopped before he went to kill Primal Dialga.

Trey felt more whispers in his mind, but brushed them off. He listened as Dialga spoke. "THIS TIME OF FOOLS HAS ENDED. YOU, THE VICTOR, WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"

"I am called Drakken, sir," the Duskull replied.

"DRAKKEN. WE MAY HAVE ENDED THE VAIN QUEST OF THESE FOOLISH REBELS, BUT THERE ARE OTHERS HIDING OUT IN THE WORLD. WE MUST BE RID OF ALL TRAITORS. YOU WILL HELP ME."

"It would be an honor, my lord," Drakken said, in the same kind of utter politeness that had won over so many in Trey's home time.

"GOOD. BUT YOU ARE TOO WEAK AS YOU ARE." Primal Dialga shook himself, then cast a strong white glow over Drakken the Duskull. When it cleared, the Ghost Pokemon had skipped directly over his second evolutionary form of a Dusclops and wound up as an even more intimidating Dusknoir. "WE MUST QUICKLY LOCATE OUR BIGGEST THREATS, INCLUDING MY SISTER PALKIA AND MY FORMER SERVANT CELEBI. I ALMOST HAD HER, BUT SHE MANAGED TO RUN AWAY."

He then vanished, taking Drakken and Temporal Tower with him.

That Duskull was Drakken? But then… a myriad of questions popped into Trey's mind. A movement reminded him of his duty. He let Celebi go.

Her pink body was now covered in mud and blood; he probably wasn't looking too good either. Celebi didn't even bother trying to look cheerful. She was too horrified at the sight around them. "How could this have happened?" she said, in a tone of helplessness. "And Dialga…" she suddenly got alarmed. "Trey, we have to get out of here, now!" She cast a blinding light.

When it cleared, they were in a cluster of dark trees, overlooking the battlefield. As Trey tried to comprehend how many Pokemon had died in this one battle, there was a sudden hissing sound. A wall of silver energy had appeared at either end of the field. The walls began to push towards each other. As they passed over the bodies, the flesh was stripped from the bone. In what felt like a brief time, the field had been cleared from a blanket of corpses to a packed boneyard. If anyone else had been alive in that, they were certainly dead now.

The two survivors were there for a long time.


	18. Trust in the Darkness

Celebi was leading Trey somewhere. He hadn't bothered to ask where yet. He simply followed and watched out for her. As he walked and watched, it helped him to ignore the horrific images in his mind. She may have just been wandering about, or she may have been heading somewhere she thought was safe. Certainly, she was feeling overwhelmed as well.

She paused at a pool on their way. She looked ahead, so she probably had some destination in mind. But she turned to the pool and swept over it with some kind of power. The water began to lighten, even ripple a bit.

"There," she said, the first thing either of them had said since leaving the battlefield. "I'm no Suicune, but…" a look of grief deepened on her face, "Well, it's clean for a bit, so we can wash off this grime."

"Good idea," he said, although she was probably better hidden muddy than she was pink. But who knew what poisons or substances were in the battlefield mud that might absorb through their skins?

He washed his face off first, then peered into the water to see if the reflection was suitable for finding any extra bit of dirt. It was then that he saw something that he hadn't really noticed yet. There was a long scar in between his eyes from when the Sableye had slashed him down the face originally. He hadn't paid much attention to his evolved form yet, and he couldn't remember any mirrored surfaces being around the underground base. So he hadn't noticed yet, but that scar and his paler than usual skin made him look exactly like the Time Gear thief.

An icy hand seemed to grip his throat, but then a cynical internal voice that sounded oddly like Kip said, 'Why should that be a surprise to you? That Grovyle was from the future, yet of the Grass type. There is only you and Celebi now.'

But then what about Drakken? Tray had witnessed the Pokemon who had betrayed him and his friends being evolved from a Duskull to a Dusknoir, when Drakken had been a Dusknoir when he kidnapped Team Marmalade. What in the world was going on?

Once Trey had gotten himself suitably cleaned, he got out and sat on a nearby rock. Celebi was still fussing over herself. She seemed to have gotten much of it off, but was mechanically doing some actions over and over while her mind was caught up elsewhere. Trey closed his eyes and thought over some meditations he had found in the book Kip had given him, about controlling the darkness once it began speaking up. He thought of shifting through the battlefield memories, but put that off for later. He would have to give that his total attention, when now he needed to have his senses open to any possible threat.

After a bit, he opened his eyes back up and asked, "Where are we going?"

That seemed to jerk Celebi out of her distracted state of mind. "Oh… Sky Peak. I want to find Arceus, but I don't want to teleport very far and alert Primal Dialga of where I am." She came out of the pool of water and buzzed her wings to dry them off. "I want to ask her why she hasn't been doing anything while the world keeps descending into lower stages of hell. No one's been able to contact her this whole era."

"What if she's gone Primal?" Trey asked.

"If that's the case, then we're screwed," Celebi stated bluntly. She headed off again and Trey followed.

She seemed to be on autopilot as they said nothing more on the journey. There was a time or two that she showed signs of being troubled: she'd slow down, her antennae would droop, or whatever she was feeling would crack the blank expression on her face. But at any point Trey would show some sign of noticing, before he even spoke, it was gone and she pressed on.

Trey wondered where they were in relation to Sky Peak, or if Celebi was even paying attention to the direction she was flying. But then a mountain came out of the darkness. When they came to the foot of it, they found a single stone monolith standing in an open field. Although it was missing the Sign of Arceus, Trey felt like he might find his way back to Treasure Town, even Bartleby's Guild, from this place.

"We should stop and get some rest," Trey said.

"I'm not tired," she said, but in a voice that said she was very tired.

"Yes you are. Use a Sleep Seed if you have to, but we should take a break before we go climbing this."

She sighed. "Probably." She did as he suggested and was soon in a deep dreamless sleep.

Trey sat down and meditated. He had learned this trick from some of his clan peers as a way to regain energy without sacrificing attentiveness. It was usually for staking out a victim or keeping an extended watch, but it worked for protecting someone else.

His meditation was broken three times, twice by the ominous giggles of Sableyes and once by the actual Pokemon. The first two times, he had managed to distract them from thoroughly searching the spot, but the third time, the creature found them. Trey knocked it out with an Energy Ball before it could alert its peers or attack Celebi.

She woke up shortly after. "Huh?" She saw the Sableye and her eyes widened. "Where did that…?"

"There's others around," he said softly. "We'd best get going. But take this," he handed her an Apple.

She nodded and ate it while they started up the path. Trey ate his own Apple on the way as well. Now there were noises to watch after: wild Pokemon, the Primal Sableyes (who seemed to enjoy their position far too much), and the wild magic that shifted paths and passages on them. Whenever he sensed that Celebi was headed towards a trap, he gently nudged her to avoid it. Although she only thanked him once, she followed his tips without hesitation.

It seemed like forever, but it seemed like not, while they climbed up Sky Peak. As they got past the ring of clouds, though, Trey noticed oddities. For climbing so high up the peak, there were an awful lot of flowers paralyzed along and on the path. And there were many other plants too, seemingly frozen into a forgotten spring. "What's with all the plants?" he asked finally.

She tensed at the sound, but then relaxed. "This leads to the village where the Shaymin clan lived. I used to visit here a lot. And the place where Arceus stays is connected to here, among a few other places. That's why the wild magic is so strong on this mountain, even now."

The abandoned village was in sad shape, though. The woven grass huts were empty and cold and the place had none of the warmth and spring soul that even the weakened Shaelin had possessed. It didn't even smell like her anymore.

Celebi brought him to a stone circle at one end of the village. "We're not supposed to bring Pokemon like you past here," she told him. "But in this case, there aren't many Pokemon left, so…" she left it at that and activated the circle.

It warped them to a different Mystery Dungeon. It was a silent place. Trey had a sense that it should have felt sacred to be walking here. But, it didn't. It felt as silent and as empty as it looked. Even as he looked over it, it was forgettable when it should have been awe-inspiring.

After three levels, they came upon a weird sight: a frozen meadow, just as dark as everywhere else. And there, they found an old skeleton of a quadruped Pokemon. Given the planetary paralysis, there was no way to tell when it had been killed. But the place was strangely clean.

"Oh no," Celebi said, going over to the skeleton. "Not Arceus too."

That had been Arceus? The bones made no sense to him, but maybe when there had been flesh there, it had been the Creation Pokemon. "Celebi," Trey said, going over to her.

She waved at him. "Go away."

There wasn't much of a place to go away to here, Trey thought. He spotted a wall on which there was writing and strange things, so he went there.

As he approached it, the wall changed to Unown text, an alphabet he could read well. Looking over it, he realized it was a list of legendary Pokemon. Each name had a glass gem by it. Nearly all of them were dark. When he saw that the ones by Mew, Zapdos, and Arceus were dark, he realized that all of the darkened names, some he knew but many he did not, these legendary Pokemon were dead.

He looked at the few that were glowing. He found Dialga; that gem was glowing red. So was the one by Palkia. Underneath them, there was Giratina glowing white, with a center of silver and gold. He wasn't sure how to interpret that. Under Mew, Mewtwo's name was glowing white with a pink center. Celebi was a few names below them, glowing white with a circle split between pink and green. And there was one other name that had a glowing white gem. This one had a dark blue, almost black, center. The name by it was Darkrai.

Trey frowned. The name of Darkrai was unfamiliar to him. But the look of it… he remembered the phantom at the battlefield, the one who almost blended into the darkness. Had that been Darkrai? And according to this list, Darkrai was not Primal. Neither was Mewtwo. Perhaps they should seek out those two survivors to figure out what to do?

The gem by Celebi's name flickered, but stayed lit. Feeling that was some kind of premonition, Trey left the name board and went back over to Celebi. She wasn't hovering like before. Instead, she was sitting on the floor staring blankly at Arceus' skeleton.

"Hey," he said quietly, tapping her shoulder.

She didn't respond.

Trey felt his leaves tingle, a sign that someone had teleported into here. He set his hand on her and glanced around for who the other intruder was. He spotted Drakken with three Sableyes. "Celebi," he called out. "You need to meet up with Dialga."

As she still wasn't responding, Trey checked the room again. There was a warp panel, but it would require him to run by the four Primals. He reached into his Treasure Bag, pulled out a Stun Orb, then smashed it on the ground, grabbed Celebi, and bolted for the panel. When his vision cleared, he saw that the panel had placed him at the foot of the mountain.

They would be here shortly, so Trey ran. It was a difficult task; Celebi was pretty much dead weight, but he couldn't afford to lose her. He went into a Mystery Dungeon, made his way through it. Every now and then, he hid for a while to see if he was being followed. Occasionally, he could hear the sadistic giggles of the Sableyes. Still, he was wary of getting faked into a trap by that, and altered his course carefully when he heard them.

In one open area, he spotted a yellow thing sticking out of the ground. It was like a mushroom, but not quite that. As Trey decided to not investigate it, it erupted from the ground; not a mushroom, but Drakken hiding in the ground. "Foolish Grovyle," he started to say.

Trey whipped out an X-Eye Seed, then threw it at the point between the Dusknoir's eyes. While the Ghost was hallucinating, he ran on. He would not lose Celebi.

After he had not heard from them in some time, he changed direction and headed for Treasure Town. It was a sad shell of its former self. The buildings were intact, but no one was inside. The Guild building was gated; Trey didn't know of the secret entrances and stepping on the security grate got him nothing. So he went west of town to Sharpedo Bluff. He knew of a secret tunnel there; it led to a place that he had lived in for some time before joining Bartleby's guild.

It was still covered by the old bush, so he pressed the hidden button. This caused a stone in the ground to roll to the side, showing an old staircase. He brought Celebi down there and shut the hatch again. Then he entered the secret cave held within the mouth of Sharpedo Bluff.

After placing her by the small pool of water, Trey checked the area out. It was mostly secure; a detection system would alert inhabitants of any ghosts or diggers trying to get in through the surrounding rocks. And the jagged teethlike stones around the opening dissuaded fliers from entering that way. From that opening, he had a good view of the beach and the sea.

"Trey?" Celebi was looking over at him. "I'm sorry. I just…"

He went back over to her. "It must be hard on you. I'll protect you, though, I swear."

"Oh." She looked down.

"Stay quiet and this is a pretty safe spot," he told her. "I'm going to scout about the old town and see if there's anything useful around. I'll be back."

She shrugged, so Trey left to gather supplies.

* * *

"It's odd to run into another civilized Pokemon in this era," a male voice said.

The words caused Trey to tense up. He had gone for several cycles without hearing another voice, as Celebi was silent. What if it was a Primal? He came out of the Kecleon's shop storage room and went to the counter. On the other side, there was that white-haired phantom Pokemon. The glow of his blue eyes didn't seem as bright today, but his expression seemed to be that of regular curiosity.

"Especially not after that battle," Trey said, causing his top leaf to twitch.

"Oh yes, that. I may have seen you there, come to think of it. You're quite lucky to have survived."

He put his paws on the counter. "You too, considering you weren't doing any fighting when I saw you."

He smiled; it was a trickster's smile, something Konga often had. "Well my skills are not all that suited for a battle on that scale."

"Who's side were you on?"

"None, honestly. I was resting in that area when the battle grew around me. It took me some time to realize that it was going on in reality, not just as some gory dream that had been attracted to me. The dreams of this era are so different than those that came before." His gaze turned to the sky.

"Dreams?"

"Yes, dreams." He put his hand to his chest and looked back to him. "We have not introduced ourselves, have we? I am Darkrai, dream spirit of the new moon. Alas, there is no longer a moon, so I am as misplaced as you are, Grovyle."

"Possibly," Trey replied. "I'm called Trey."

"Trey, is it? Would you, by chance, be staying with someone else?"

"Why should I tell you?" he asked, suspicious.

"Hmm… I suppose in this era, such distrust is normal." He put his hand to his chin. "If you are protecting someone, I should not interfere. But, being the dream spirit that I am, I sense that someone is dreaming nearby. Unfortunately, it seems to be one of a terrible nature. I should hope that whoever it is is not depressed. It would be rough punch to the soul of someone who is suffering on the inside."

Trey immediately got worried for Celebi. However, he couldn't put her in danger. He had to either trust Darkrai or get him away from here before he went back to check on her. And recalling the utter calm and serenity that this Pokemon had shown in a horrific battle, he was leaning towards not trusting him. "There isn't much comfort to this era."

"You're right. So what do you intend to do?"

He shrugged, trying to look as jaded as he could. "Survive? And keep free from whatever's turning everyone into a crazed violent fiend."

"That would be my goal as well. Speaking of those fiends, I'd best leave soon. Better for me and better for you that we don't stick together. But, since you are in a shop, would you care to trade some Apples and Berries for a couple of TMs? I have been running dangerously low on food lately."

"Sure, I guess." He gave Darkrai some assorted foods in exchange for a Dark Pulse, a Thunderbolt, and an Ominous Wind. Once he said goodbye to the dream spirit, he went back to Sharpedo Bluff to check on Celebi.

She was awake, but looked badly spooked. She was watching the stairs, but seemed relieved when she saw him. "Oh, Trey…"

"What happened? You look pale."

"J-just a bad dream." She looked down, so Trey went closer. Then she hugged him. "If it would kill Primal Dialga," she whispered, "do you think I should kill myself?"

This was looking bad. "No, Celebi, don't do that. We can find another way."

"But if there was no other way," she said even quieter than before.

"There will be another way," Trey said firmly, patting the back of her head. "I'm looking into what's recorded and I know there will be a way to fix things."

"Oh." She sounded relieved, which made Trey feel better about her safety. But when he let go of the hug, she took one of his paws. "Would you stay with me for a while, though?"

He had been out investigating the town a lot recently. "Okay, I will."

* * *

Out on the beach, Darkrai's gaze was steady on Sharpedo Bluff. After staying there for quite a while, he gave a satisfied nod. "Silly Celebi. We can't have you killing yourself off now. Still, it's a pity that it's taken so long to track down a loose cannon like you." He ran his fingers through his hair. "And Trey… all of the other Grass Pokemon should have died out long ago. Your bright and cheerful natures, sunny dispositions…" he grimaced. "At least you've given me an extra way to attack Celebi."

Darkrai vanished.

* * *

When Trey woke up, he felt an odd warmth. It puzzled him until he realized that he had fallen asleep next to Celebi and she was still sleeping at his side.

A sense of guilt wormed into his heart. Was he dishonoring his memory of Stacy by doing this? Or, because she was dead, was it okay? But then it felt bad to think about it that way. Yet, in this era of darkness, when all the inhabitants he had known (who were dead) had all been distant and isolated even in living together, to be close to another gave him a feeling of hope and encouragement. But he was considering going back in time, back to when Stacy lived, and he was darn well going to see to it that she (and the others) survived. Did that make this wrong?

But Celebi looked calm and peaceful, which was way better then her being paralyzed by depression. For the moment, Trey tried not to think about it too hard and just stayed with Celebi.

* * *

For the umpteenth time, Trey wished there was some passage of days or something. Celebi was still depressed. Fortunately, the town was well stocked and nothing had been ruined in the paralysis. He was falling into another routine, but this time, he didn't like it.

After investigating around town with the knowledge Bubbles and the clan gave him, he was able to locate some of the secret entrances to the Guild building. He looked over the room he and Kip had slept in. In a corner, he found a small hole that had been dug out and filled with a small collection of rocks. As he looked over them, he realized that he had found Kip's secret stash. One of the tricks Stacy had tried to keep Kip satisfied was to allow him to take relatively harmless rocks and take them as treasures for a collection. The Skitty took to that suggestion and those rocks were still here. Trey spent a bit sorting those rocks, trying to figure out what he had seen in them.

He searched the girls' room too and found a lost spool of white thread. He found no sign of Stacy there, but in the next room where Matti and Azeri had stayed, he found the Azurill's drawing of Team Marmalade and the two kids. While it caused tears, it also gave him a warm feeling. He took it back to the hidden cave.

There were other signs that the planet's paralysis had happened shortly after he had left that time. He found a Perfect Apple in the Guildmaster's office (he ended up giving it to Celebi). He found some journals of the others, like Bobby the Bidoof, Flora the Sunflora, and Chiaka the Chimecho. In those, he was able to read entries on the Time Gear thief, his old exploration team, and the day they disappeared. Flora had the most entries after that, thirty, until that journal too went blank.

But in those writings, he found nothing about what had happened after the time of paralysis. In other evidence around town, it seemed that the entirety of Treasure Town had been abandoned (or massacred) when the planet became paralyzed. There was something suspicious, though. Bobby, Flora, and Chiaka had all noted that when Mespirit, Uxie, and Azelf went to replace the five stolen Gears, time did not start back up in those places. They stayed stagnant, paralysis slowly spreading until the day that all time went stagnant.

He found more writing on that in a journal he found at Kazza's library. The Alakazam had all sorts of research notes, so Trey would find those books, then bring them back to Sharpedo's Bluff to read. While there, he found a few books that Celebi might like to read. He wasn't sure, but brought them to her anyhow.

Finally, he came back after one search to find her reading through one of the books. She looked up and smiled. "Thanks for that Perfect Apple. It's been ages since I've encountered one of those."

He smiled back at her. "I'm glad you liked it. How are you doing?"

"Okay, I suppose. I'm not doing anybody any good just sulking here. Then again…" she looked out the opening, "I've decided that I hate this world. There's no sense in letting it suffer any longer. If I had some idea of how to undo this darkness from the past…" she looked to him. "It's dangerous. If we erase this darkness, we will almost certainly erase ourselves. Perhaps we'll revert to our old selves before the darkness to find a new future, but all our memories of this era… well, I won't miss them."

"I feel the same way," he told her. "But I might have an idea on how to undo it. Here." He handed her a piece of paper he'd found in the guild.

She looked at the drawing it held. "Oh, that's you Trey." She read down the outlaw statement. "Oh…" then she frowned. "But you were a Treecko when I found you."

"I was a Treecko when this happened. I was part of an apprentice explorer team when this unnamed Grovyle began stealing Time Gears. About that time, a Dusknoir called Drakken appeared."

She tensed. "Drakken? The one we saw?'

He nodded. "The same one. The Grovyle attacked Uxie to steal the Time Gear he was guarding, and then my team encountered the thief when he attacked Mespirit for the same reason. And we met him again when he attacked Azelf, but Drakken appeared then and fought him. He then told us that he was from the future, where the Grovyle was a notorious thief. And, we believed him because he showed no signs of darkness while the Grovyle… well, the three legendaries were defeated so strongly that they each spent several days in the hospital recovering."

"And the three of them would never give anyone a reason to hate them that much," Celebi noted.

"Those three even offered to personally assist Drakken capture the thief. They did, and sent him back to the future. However, Drakken also kidnapped me and my three friends without warning or reason. He brought us to Temporal Tower, where I got this scar from a Sableye. And then, we and the Grovyle were executed. I somehow survived, and…" he shook his head. "And I don't know how, but I wound up going a bit into the past in what was the future from my time and wound up joining your rebellion when Drakken was just a Duskull. That doesn't make sense, but that's how it is."

She closed her book. "It makes sense to me. But…" she considered something, then said, "I've always noticed that you seem to be moving backwards."

"Backwards?"

She nodded. "You're caught in a time loop, and you're actually heading backwards in a way. Like this is how you started," she put her hand on the dirt floor and drew a line. Then she brought it up and brought it back into a loop, "As you're here, and then you should be heading…" she brought the line of the loop down and closed it, "here, so that things stabilize. So, you need to go back into the past and become that unnamed Grovyle thief."

"But I know what's going on this time," he said. "I might be able to get away with the Gears without hurting the triplets. And I know that the final plan is a trap, so I can avoid it. So I can change time and…" he paused. "The thing is, I don't know what he was planning on doing with the Time Gears."

"I know what I would have asked to be done with them," Celebi said, sounding more confident as they went along. "First, did you find any records of after your kidnapping?"

"Yes."

"What did they say about the replaced Time Gears?"

"That the places they were did not recover. They were still frozen days after the Gears were replaced. It even spread more as time went on."

"Right, because time was already unstable at that point and Temporal Tower must have been in the beginning stages of collapse. And I know now the weak point that was pressed and how Dialga could have missed it that whole time. On top of the Tower is where he normally resides, and it's a large open space. At the north end of the platform, there's a small raised area. It's square, about a yard on each side. You've seen how big Dialga is; he might not pay that particular little piece notice. But in that place is a mechanism that is run off five Time Gears. It helps keep the stability of Temporal Tower. Someone could have stolen those five Gears. The effect wouldn't have been noticed right away, but it's like a small crack in a high-traffic bridge. The more the bridge is used, the bigger the crack grows. By the time you notice, it's already a big problem."

"So I only need to go after those five Gears."

"Yes, the ones that are not native to those areas. Getting to Temporal Tower might be a problem. At that era, you have to pass the Sea of Time, and you need a particular key. But I could get you around that. Is there anything else about this story that would be important?"

"Yes. Drakken told us that the Grovyle had a partner. Later, he told us that the partner was a human named Sally. And, well," he passed over the drawing Azeri had made. "Sally was one of the members of our exploration team."

"Huh… oh, that's right! Mew and Mewtwo wanted to get someone with a special talent to help with our rebellion effort. They found a human named Sally, but she was young and in need of training. Mewtwo was left with her…" she frowned. "But all Psychic powers are limited under this darkness. I can't easily make contact. And, I don't know if the Primals have gotten them."

"I saw this board back at Arceus' dungeon that seemed to show which legendary Pokemon were alive, which were dead, and which were Primals. It showed that Mewtwo was alive at the time we were there, uncorrupted."

"That's hopeful. Was there anything else you noticed about the board?"

He nodded. "Palkia was also shown to be Primal. And there was another alive and regular one too, someone named Darkrai."

"Darkrai, huh?"

He wondered if he should tell her about his encounter with the dream spirit. "Who is he?"

"I've only heard about him," she said uncertainly. "He's one of the dream powers connected to the moon, I know that. He would be the Dark type one, so he might be able to resist this time like the Sneasel Konga did. It might help if we could contact him, but he would completely slip my notice if he were nearby."

"And he must be able to hide very well in a time of darkness too," Trey thought aloud.

"If we run into him, we'll try to get his help. But we're going to be better off finding Mewtwo and Sally. That would mean crossing the ocean. I can fly, but you… it's too far to swim. Well can you gather all the evidence you have? I want to see this for myself."

"Sure." He brought her out of the hidden cave and brought her to the library. Later, they went to the guild.

At one point, they spotted a boat approaching the shore. They went out to meet it and, as hoped for, it was Mewtwo and Sally. "We had a horrible trip over," Mewtwo told them. "So thank goodness I caught your aura signs and was able to correct our course so that we could meet right up."

"We've been formulating a plan," Celebi said. "But, it's drastic. I'll have to show you all the information we have."

Trey smiled at seeing his friend Sally again, although it was bittersweet in that she was younger and thus did not recognize him. However, she looked much the same, with her long white hair spilling over her face and her turquoise blue eyes. So he said, "Hi Sally. I'm Trey."

She gave him a friendly if uncertain smile and signed, "Hello Trey. I hope we can be friends."

"I'll be your friend, don't doubt it."

Her eyes widened. "Really, you know sign language?"

"I do."

"That's an odd skill for you to have," Mewtwo said. "But helpful. We should be able to get through things faster."

When Celebi and Mewtwo went off to Sharpedo Bluff to look over things, Trey asked Sally, just to be sure, "Do you like marmalade?"

She gave her odd laugh. "That's a weird question," she signed. "But I love marmalade. It's one of my favorite things. Do you like it?"

It was definitely Sally. "I don't come across it often, but yes, I like it too."

* * *

Drakken the Dusknoir came up to his master's platform. "Master Dialga, you have a guest."

In response, Dialga growled. He did not trust anyone. Maybe not even Drakken. The Dusknoir occasionally felt like his Sableye helpers were spying on him for Dialga. Certainly he was spying on them for Dialga. As it was, any one slip up could end in his death.

"He calls himself Darkrai, sir. He does not seem too hostile, but we should be able to contain him if he causes trouble."

After more growling, Dialga said, "BRING HIM IN."

"Yes, master." He went to the teleport pad to reach the place where he had left the phantom Pokemon. He seemed to be observing a crack in the wall, where the collapse had frozen. "Darkrai, the master will see you now."

"Ah, I see. Thank you very much for this." He bowed like a gentleman Pokemon.

"I hope you have important enough business. Master Dialga has no time for chit-chat."

"You have made that quite clear. I am aware of this."

With that, Drakken allowed Darkrai into the teleport pad and brought him to Dialga's quarters. The master's red eyes narrowed as they glowed in the darkness. The Dusknoir bowed to his master, then turned to the stranger. "You are now in the presence of Master Dialga. Please state your business without disrespect."

Darkrai smiled. "Oh, of course. I would not dream of disrespecting the master of the world."

Dialga snarled. "GET ON WITH IT. WHY ARE YOU HERE?"

Clasping his hands together, the phantom seemed eerily calm in the presence of the master. Drakken was jealous of this. As much as he tried to hide it, being in Master Dialga's presence still unnerved him. However, he had great respect in this, in that even he was afraid of the master. So why was Darkrai so calm?

"I have come across some interesting information that you may wish to know about," Darkrai stated. "First, Celebi seems to be working with a pale Grovyle named Trey."

"We already knew of this," Drakken stated, trying to make Darkrai nervous. However, there was a new piece of information in there: they hadn't learned the Grovyle's name yet.

"Have you?" Darkrai's smile seemed almost a smirk when he looked back to Drakken. "Well your information network must be extraordinary, as Trey seems quite cautious. The other thing that I have learned is, Mewtwo has found a human who possesses the Dimensional Scream ability."

At that, Dialga roared in anger. When he spoke, his voice was seething with hostility. "THE DIMENSIONAL SCREAM? SO GIRATINA HAS SURVIVED! I KNEW THAT DIRTY SCOUNDREL WOULDN'T GO DOWN QUITE THAT EASILY."

To Drakken's annoyance, Darkrai did not seem ruffled at Dialga's outburst. He was still, seemingly at peace. "It is a pity. I did not wish to betray the true master of the world, so I thought you would want to know of this."

"Are you mocking us?" Drakken demanded.

"Why, of course not," Darkrai replied, placing his hand on his chest. "Why would you think that I am mocking either of you? What good would it do me to mock the great Master Dialga and his highest, most loyal servant?"

"WHO IS THIS HUMAN CHOSEN BY GIRATINA?" Dialga asked.

"A girl, albino. Her name is Sally. And, if I'm not mistaken, she is curiously deaf. However, that is no obstacle to Mewtwo."

"AND MEWTWO IS NOT EASILY FOOLED OR CAPTURED. DARKRAI, CONTINUE TO SPY ON HIM AND THE HUMAN GIRL. WE WILL HANDLE CELEBI AND HER GROVYLE SERVANT."

"As you wish," Darkrai said, bowing. "May I have your leave?"

"YES, GET GOING ALREADY!"

"Just thought I'd ask." Darkrai faded into shadows, and then was gone.

"Master," Drakken said, then quickly caught himself. "Forgive me for asking, but can we trust this Darkrai? He was not disrespectful on the surface, but he might have been tricking us."

"I CAN TELL WHEN SOMEONE IS TRICKING ME!" Dialga shouted. Then he grumbled for a bit. "DARKRAI IS A TRICKSTER. HOWEVER, HE HAS THE ABILITY TO INFLICT NIGHTMARES ON ANY HE IS NEAR. AS LONG AS HE IS CLOSE TO OUR ENEMIES, HE WILL WEAR THEM DOWN SIMPLY WITH HIS PRESENCE."

"I see." He bowed. "Very clever, master."

"NOW FIND CELEBI AND THIS TREY. BUT REMEMBER, SHE MUST BE BROUGHT TO ME ALIVE. DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO THE SERVANT, BUT BRING CELEBI TO ME."

"Yes, master." Drakken then left on his mission.


	19. Searching for the Time Gears Again for the First Time

Sally was signing, but most of her questions came through in her thoughts. "The past is my future and Trey and I must go there to fix how things went so that the darkness world never comes about. It is hard to think about. Wouldn't it go the way it already has?"

"That depends," Mewtwo told her. "Time travel makes some parts of history fluid, so that they change more easily. And the era you're heading to is unstable, so it would accept change better than most eras. But if you don't do something because it's already been done, it won't be done after all. I admit, it is a bit of a brain twister."

"The darkness as you describe it sounds hard to fight," she signed.

"It is, but I believe in you. You should stand against the darkness, without letting it take hold. We don't have many heroes left. Just you… and him."

Sally looked ahead to where Trey and Celebi were waiting. "I hope I can be a hero."

Mewtwo patted her. "Don't worry. I'm the one who trained you. You should do just fine."

She laughed.

"Well good to know that you're all in a good mood," Celebi said. "Okay, consider this your last phase of training for this mission. We're not completely sure where we can find the five misplaced Time Gears in the past. However, since you're going back to when the Tower was beginning its collapse, there should be either actual Gears or traces of them where they were. And we can't risk the Primals' interference, so we're just going to have to find the five now and hope they are all in place then."

Sally nodded. Unknown to her, she was the only one who did not know the five locations where Time Gears were in Trey's memory. It had been decided that, since they were altering time, there was a good chance that one of the Gears might be moved, or that one of the triplet Guardians could do something differently. In case of this happening, they wanted Sally to know the aura of the Time Gear through her Dimensional Scream ability. That way, if they were unable to find one, she could quickly rule out places or sense an area where a Time Gear actually was.

"So this is Mount Bristle," Mewtwo said. "It's said to have hidden dangers that could be lethal, so let me or Celebi examine things before you go using stuff."

There was, of course, no Time Gear at Mount Bristle. Nor at Mount Horn. But then they went to Treeshroud Forest, one of the two places that Trey had not entered himself. Although dark, it still tried to be green. "This place really was lovely before everything went to darkness," Celebi said, looking around with nostalgia.

"I can imagine so," Trey said.

Sally was fiddling with the leaves of a tree when her Dimenisonal Scream activated. She decided to show Trey. It showed Uxie and Azelf going along the same path they were. "It is the last Time Gear," Uxie said. "So hopefully everything will restart after we put this one in place."

"That would be good," his brother replied. "It's so unnerving to have my lake frozen by time, not by temperature. Isn't that right… Mespirit?" He looked around. "Mespirit!"

"Coming!" came a sing-song voice. She burst out of the trees. "Look at this, look at this! I found a pretty eggshell! I wonder what hatched from it."

"It is nice," Azelf said of the peach-colored speckled shell, somewhat relucatantly.

"That would be…" Uxie started.

"And don't you dare tell me what!" she said before he could tell. "It's more fun as a mystery." She moved ahead, humming happily. "Come on boys, we shouldn't be slacking."

"Says you," Azelf sighed.

"But it is nice, to be back together," Uxie said.

"Yes; I'm sure I'll miss this later on."

Trey told the others of what it was. "So one should be at the end of this."

"You should feel honored," Mewtwo said. "The Dimensional Scream seer can only show visions like that to those she trusts fully."

A level down, they came across a puzzle. There were two passages. Celebi said, "Well, in this case…"

"We should split up," Mewtwo interrupted. "You and Sally take the left passage. Trey and I will go down the right."

She gave him a questioning look, then something seemed to be communicated silently between them. What could it be? Trey knew that their telepathy was severely hampered by the overwhelming presence of darkness.

"Okay," Celebi said. "Come on, Sally." They went down the left passage.

Trey followed Mewtwo into the right passage. When they found the new level, the other two were nowhere to be seen. "So they lead to entirely different levels," Trey thought aloud.

"Correct," Mewtwo said, then attacked Trey with a burst of water.

Trey managed to dodge to the side. "What're you doing?"

"Training you," Mewtwo said, in the kind of authoritative voice that Bubbles used often. "The journals show that Uxie was attacked first, which I wholly agree with. He is the most intelligent, therefore the most likely to spring a trap if one of the other two were taken down first."

"I would rather not attack them," Trey said.

"We may rather it not happen, but I doubt that will be the case. It was their duty to guard the Gears they had and I know they would not agree to give them up to an unproven stranger. And as you are facing Uxie first, you should know that he senses intentions, so he will fight someone who approaches his lake meaning to take the Gear."

"Once I fight one of them, the other two won't be so agreeable either," Trey pointed out.

"Yes, so you need to be trained to fight a legend in a one on one battle." Mewtwo held a fist up. "I was specifically designed for battle; they were not. But if you cannot land a hit on me, or avoid what I send your way, you won't stand a chance against them. And once I know what you're capable of now, I might have a trick or two for you that will assist in this effort."

"All right," Trey said, and then was immediately attacked with Confusion.

It was rough, very rough. Mewtwo could teleport all over the place, firing off high powered skills that hit any poor sap that happened to be in the room with him. And the rumors were true; he could take light powered skills and knock lesser Pokemon out with one hit. Approaching him was more difficult than trying to dodge his magic, though. Even as silently as Trey could move, Mewtwo still sensed him and would be gone before an Energy Ball or Bullet Seed could touch him.

After ten minutes, Mewtwo appeared behind Trey and sent strong Psychic energy right into him. But it was some kind of healing skill, as Trey felt completely revitalized after it. "That's it for now," he said. "I'll get us to the others."

At the end of the forest dungeon, they came to a clearing which held the Time Gear. The only security seemed to be a scattering of stones, eerily like headstones. But the Gear itself was useless to them, having broken into many small pieces.

The one in Limestone Cavern was the same way, broken up and useless. But Sally seemed confident that she could sense them when they went back in time. Mewtwo managed to find times and places to battle Trey while they traveled. It never got any easier, although the Psychic Pokemon seemed to be in approval, enough that he taught him to add Dark-type energy to his leaf blades to hit the triplets harder. He also gave him a special Opal Band. "It will hide you from any mental senses that will try to find you if the physical ones do not work," he told Trey. "It's extremely rare as it is difficult to make. So do not lose it."

"I won't," Trey replied.

* * *

For the three dungeons with the triplet Guardians, Mewtwo and Celebi had Sally and Trey go in on their own. "You won't be able to have us with you in the past," Celebi said. "Our past selves are certainly there, but they won't know you."

"Okay," Trey agreed, as did Sally.

But in the Foggy Forest area, they started running into Primal Pokemon. That brought in the Sableyes. The first time they ran into them, Sally froze in fear. Trey tugged at her. "We can't stay still."

When she did move, it was at a quicker pace, and she hesitated any time they had to go even vaguely where they had heard the sinister giggling. "They came into town and slashed everybody," she signed at one point. "A whole big swarm of them. And then they burned every building to drive out any survivors. I was a little girl."

"You can fight them now," Trey told her. "But I want to avoid them as much as possible too."

Along the way, they found the glowing Drought Stone. Trey let Sally take it, then had her solve the statue puzzle to remove the fog on her own. It took her a little while to read through the footprint runes, then to solve the riddle. But when he congratulated her on solving it, she was beaming. Trey felt glad that he had allowed her to do that instead of just solving it himself.

They made their way up Steam Cave. The humidity and heat was horrible in the paralyzed air. At the end of it, they had to take a long rest break to cool down and regain energy.

When Sally woke back up from her nap, Trey gave her an Apple to eat. "Feeling better?"

She nodded. While she was eating, she paused a moment to sign, "Who's crying?"

The Grovyle shook his head. "I don't know. I've heard it too, but no one has come around. We should be careful."

Once they were done eating, they climbed up the stairs to Fogbound Lake itself. The once beautiful waters were now murky and still. In the middle of the stone platform, there was a curled up skeleton. From the red gem that remained in the forehead of the skull, this had to be Uxie. Trey felt unnerved when he saw this skeleton, although he wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps because it was alone.

Sally clapped for his attention. "I feel like one is in the middle of the lake," she signed. "Should we go look at it closer?"

"I wouldn't trust going in that water like I trust in your ability," Trey stated. "But it looks like someone lived here."

She nodded, then knelt down near the skeleton. She put her hand down and stroked the skull a few times. Then she cringed as one of her visions came to her. Trey patted her shoulder in support. After her mind cleared, she put her fingers over his eyes to show him what she'd seen.

Uxie looked over the ruined waters of his lake. He'd been sitting here under the dark skies for several… days? It felt like several lifetimes and only a couple of minutes at once. In all that time, the geyser did not spout, the waterfalls did not pour, and nothing moved save for himself and other scared Pokemon.

It didn't change. And he still couldn't understand why the Time Gear he had been set to protect had shattered like it did. It had done so shortly before the entirety of time stopped, paralyzing the whole planet. Now, the darkness was so dense that once again, he could not sense his siblings. Were they alive, safe, dead, or injured? Uxie didn't know. But the lake held onto his heart and he was reluctant to leave it.

At a roar, Uxie turned. He got a look at a darkly colored Dialga attacking him with a bite. Although afraid, he did expect to be able to teleport away. That wasn't to be. Dialga killed him in one blow.

The pixie's soul remained behind, though, shocked at what had happened. He could only watch as Dialga teleported away and as a silver glow burned all the flesh from his bones. After a bit, he realized that he was now trapped to wander around his corrupted lake, alone in the darkness.

Uxie began crying.

Trey shivered as his mind came back to the moment. He could hear the crying again. This time, it seemed to be nearby even though he couldn't see anyone around other than Sally. "He, his sister, and his brother were all born from one egg," he told Sally. "No wonder he's still crying. Being left alone like this must be torture to his soul."

"We shouldn't leave him alone then," Sally signed. She touched the red gem.

Without warning, the skeleton turned to dust and fell apart. The gem remained intact, though. Silently, they agreed to take the gem and hope that Uxie's soul could follow. And when Sally took the gem, the crying quieted to silence.

Trey spotted a shadow emerging from the area behind them. "Watch it!" he called out, warning her into action.

A dark ball of energy flew at them, catching Sally in the side. The Dusknoir servant to Primal Dialga was now blocking their path to the stair exit. "What are you rebels up to?" he asked.

"None of your business, Drakken," Trey scowled. He saw Sally make a quick sign; she seemed to have an idea.

Drakken's ghostly form condensed for a moment, as if he were startled. His attitude soon settled. "So you rebels have heard of me already. Then you know that you will fail if you fight me, as Master Dialga ensures my survival because I am loyal."

Although Trey looked ahead, he was watching Sally making signs at her side. He wasn't sure what she had in mind, but he trusted her. "Right, but we're not giving in to you," he told Drakken.

"Do not overestimate your strength, Trey." Drakken brought his right hand up and started an attack that warped the air in front of him.

Trey then darted over and jumped onto Sally's back. While he clung there, she took off for the edge of the nearest waterfall. Drakken tried to move his aim to follow them, but then Sally leapt off the paralyzed waterfall.

With his heart racing, Trey tried to figure out what Sally meant to do. There was also the matter of how Drakken knew his name… but that could wait. They were nearly a mile over the ground; the fall would be deadly to both of them. The air moved around them, disturbed from its endless immobile state. When they were dangerously close to the treetops, Sally activated something on the sides of her armor. A blast of air countered their fall so sharply that they slowed dramatically. His grip remained true, but he could feel his insides get thrown about in the sudden change of speed. Adjusting their fall, Sally landed them safely on the grass by the waterfall pools.

They couldn't stop to catch their breath, though. They took off running into the dungeon again. Adjusting her armor's modes, Sally tried to look less conspicuous. Trey followed her in the trees, watching for enemies following them. When he spotted Sableyes or any Pokemon that might be Primal instead of wild, he jumped down to her side and indicated where their enemies were. If they could, they avoided the encounter. If not, then they made quick ambushes to knock their foes out before moving on.

At the first floor, they found Mewtwo and Celebi involved in a battle against a group of varied Primal Pokemon. After a moment, Mewtwo teleported the whole group away, to a distant plain. Then he turned to them. "I feel that someone else has come with us, but I don't know…"

"Uxie," Sally signed.

"We picked up the gem that was on his forehead," Trey added. "His soul was alone, so we thought we'd look for his two siblings along the way."

"I see." Mewtwo nodded. "That's probably for the best."

"Why did you have to bring us here?" Celebi asked, irritated.

"They won't expect it," he pointed out.

Trey looked out and saw a field of bones. Shuddering, he said, "Let's get out of here quickly. Isn't the desert nearby?"

"Yes." The two legendaries also reported running into Primals. "Primal Dialga must have been warned about us," Mewtwo said. "The big brute didn't show up himself, but in order to get rid of the two of us, I'm certain he'll come around eventually."

"Just as long as it's not a swarm of Sableyes that know where we are," Sally signed.

"Drakken knew my name," Trey said. "I don't know how much else he knows, though."

"It is worrisome, but we must continue on," Mewtwo stated.

* * *

The four stood outside Quicksand Desert. The particles of sand that hung in the air seemed uncountable. When Trey waved his hand through it, the bits of sand came loose and fell to the ground. "It can be passed through," he said. "But it's going to leave a clear path for Drakken or the other followers to find us."

"I've thought of that," Mewtwo said. He snapped his fingers, making five orbs appear. "But this should get you across."

"Hmm?" Trey took one to identify it. "Oh, Rainy Orbs. The rain will spread out and cause the sand to come out of the air. But this will leave a fairly wide path."

"You should still move in quickly," Mewtwo advised. "The water will make the sand difficult to cross if it soaks too long, and the shift in weather itself will draw attention."

"All right. I'll keep an Escape Orb close at hand too," Trey said. He looked up and smiled at Sally. "So let's go check this place out, partner."

She smiled back and nodded.

Sally's sense for the Time Gears led them straight to the center of the desert. Trey wondered, in his past and her future, had she seen these treks as important enough that she remembered them? She hadn't remembered Mount Bristle or Mount Horn, but the area around the three lakes, she had definitely felt like she'd been there before. And she had, although that before was now.

Still, the trek was long and they took a short break for food once they got into the cave system. They pressed on, hoping to keep ahead of the Primal forces. Thus far, things were in the clear.

When they entered the lake chamber, they noticed that something smelled awful. It wasn't the smell of decay; there were no bodies, just skeletons as usual. But something about the water had turned rancid, making both Trey and Sally cringe. There was also crying in this place. Once Sally had checked on the status of the Time Gear, she took the blue gem that had been on Mespirit's head. Then they left the lake area quickly.

The Escape Orb brought them to Celebi's location. One of Sally's visions came right as the space stabilized, right as Trey heard the giggle of one of the Sableyes. "Let's get her away," he told Celebi as he took Sally's hand.

Although she was quite a bit larger than them, they pulled her to a gathering of rocks. It wasn't full cover, but was good enough to last until Mewtwo got to them. When Sally recovered, she signed to Trey, "She died much like her brother. But the last Time Gear will be at the lake of their brother Azelf, at Crystal Cave."

"Nice discovery," Celebi said. "But we'll want to go anyhow, if only to retrieve Azelf's soul as well."

* * *

When they got to Crystal Cave, they had to hold back. There were two Sableyes outside the entrance. "I think Drakken is in there too," Mewtwo said. "They seem to have the entrance to Crystal Crossing open, but it's going to be hard for us to get in."

"I could go in alone," Trey said.

"We can't lose you at this stage," Celebi said, taking his arm.

"We could keep an eye on him, mentally," Mewtwo suggested. "It wouldn't be much to target him as a teleport location, then bring him out if things turn bad. And this is what his training was for."

"That's true." She squeezed Trey's arm, then let him go. "Be careful, still."

"I know," he said. "You three be careful too." He then snuck into the dungeon.

Trey moved quickly through the crystal-studded halls. He had to keep watch on any Pokemon that appeared, but he also had to keep moving. While traveling along the walls, he discovered hidden hallways near the ceilings, allowing him hidden ways if he spotted two or more Sableyes meeting in an area.

When he came to the joining of Crystal Cave and Crystal Crossing, he spotted Drakken's yellow antenna sticking out of the ground. From that, he could guess that the ghost was keeping his senses open to anything that changed in the room. The passage was open, perhaps to make him careless. Trey paused in a nook of the wall, trying to find something to distract Drakken.

He sensed a flicker of Celebi's power as he tried to plan. Drakken noticed and came out of the floor to look for himself. Thanking her silently, Trey darted into the open entrance unnoticed.

Azelf's lake wasn't covered in frozen crystals this time. It seemed that he had fought back, as his bones were in worse shape, crumbled into a pile by a stalagmite. When Trey touched the red gem, the skeleton crumbled, but the crying sound still remained.

Maybe Sally's power made them notice her, he thought. "Azelf," Trey said quietly, looking into the gem.

The crying stopped suddenly. Trey felt a presence come close to him. Hoping that worked, Trey broke an Escape Orb to leave the dungeon.

When he appeared next to the group, a blue orb of light appeared near him. Sally pulled out the two gems she had and soon had a red and a yellow orb beside her. The three orbs came together, making humming sounds. As he couldn't, Trey wondered if any of the other three could understand these ghosts.

Then the three ghosts fused into one white light. A voice, apparently merged from all three, then spoke in tones he felt more than heard. "We are unable to do much in exchange, but in thanks for bringing us back together…"

Trey felt a flush of joy in his soul at that moment. It felt like a warm kiss of sunlight, after the sun had departed the world so long ago. It was the love, relief, and unity that the triplets were feeling right then, he realized. When they couldn't do anything else, they decided to share the only thing they had left.

While the light of their souls quickly faded away, the feelings remained. Celebi spoke, somewhat awed. "Remember, this is what we seek to return to the world."

"It's good to be reminded of that," Trey said.

* * *

With all five locations confirmed, Celebi teleported them to a thick forest. "For this Passage of Time, we have to come to a place where time can still be tapped into," she explained. "So, I'm afraid that we're very close to Primal Dialga and Temporal Tower here."

"It can't be helped," Trey said. They kept quiet for most of the trek. He had related to Sally earlier about the puzzle at the entrance to Crystal Crossing. Since he recalled her giving them the clue in the past, he had to tell her that clue now so that she knew it in the future of, well, the past.

At one point, Mewtwo stopped them. After a bit, he whispered to them, "That Dusknoir you spoke of, Drakken, I believe that I sense him around."

"Which direction?" Celebi asked. He pointed down a hall. "Um, we need to get that way."

"Are we close to your location for the Passage?"

"Yes."

"All right. You take these two there. I'll distract Drakken."

Sally grabbed Mewtwo's shoulder, then let go to sign, "Are you sure?"

"It's fine, we need to get you two to the past." He hugged her. "I know you; I've raised you from a small girl into a fine hero. Now we have to part, but you won't be alone."

She patted him, then pulled back to sign, "I'll miss you lots."

"Me too." Then he darted ahead into the hall.

"I think we can go this way," Celebi said, looking down another hall. They heard a rather noisy attack in the form of a Thunder, but Sally nodded. They went down the second hall and came to a cliff that blocked in a small meadow. "Okay, this is the spot." She went to the wall and found a spot she liked. Then she closed her eyes and was still for a long time.

Trey felt nervous. What should he say to Celebi? He hadn't considered it until this point; perhaps he should have.

A tunnel made up of blue archways appeared around the pink Pokemon. Past that, there was a light blue blob, much like the black one that Trey had been through before. Then Celebi turned back to them. "You both are aware that if you are successful, you will most likely erase yourselves from history? Sally, you were born into this world of darkness, and Trey… you evolved here, and many things have happened to you here, changing you. Dialga's original rules for time do not allow for paradoxes, and so with erasing this darkness, you will erase yourselves entirely. Not even Mewtwo nor I will remember who you are, or perhaps even what you did. Are you still willing to do this?"

Trey wondered why she hadn't brought that up with him before. When they crossed eyes, he saw a fleeting glance of how she truly felt, that it hurt her to know that she would forget about him completely, but knew it had to be done. So as Sally nodded, completely firm in her decision, Trey said, "Yes… we both are."

"Good." She bowed to them. "Only the purest of heroes would do something that they know they will suffer for, and knowing that no one else will know what they have done. For all the souls lost to this darkness, I thank you." She then moved aside. "Hold onto each other so that you both stay together. And, goodbye."

"Goodbye," Trey said, then offered his paw to Sally. She took it in her hand, then they went into the Passage of Time.

Celebi turned away quickly. "If only I could remember you, darling," she whispered.

She completely missed a shadow in the ground moving into the Passage of Time as well.


	20. Closing the Loophole

There was the wild static rainbow again, Trey thought. But he wouldn't be seeing it again. This time, he was going to make sure that things went right. He was going to fix Time once and for all, even if Time then decided it would not let him exist. Then, what would happen to Stacy and Kip?

As long as they were allowed to live in a sun-lit world as it was meant to be, it was good.

The static began to clear, so they must have crossed enough time. But when it grew increasingly black, he grew alarmed. He gripped Sally's hand tighter. "We can't let go," he said.

She nodded.

"It's a nice sentiment," a warped voice replied. "But I can't let this little plan of yours to continue."

Trey felt a rapid growth of energy, but Sally located its source first. She grabbed him with her other arm and pulled him closer. Before he could resist being protected, there was a loud bang. The burst of dark energy struck them both and they had no way of avoiding the attack in the Passage.

She had taken the brunt of the attack, Trey realized with horror. "Hold on! We'll make it through…" she shuddered. "Come on!"

Sally seemed to be fainting. Trey tried to grip her tighter, but the Passage was breaking up. As the tamed magic of Celebi turned wild, it pulled at them in a hundred different directions. The human got pulled away from him. He had to use all his strength!

"I… I can't…" But no matter how he tried to rally his will, the wild magic was stronger.

What's the use of this struggle? The wild magic tapped into his darkness and made its voice louder than normal. This would only end in oblivion, for both of them. No one would remember them, not Kip, not Stacy, not Celebi, no one would be allowed to remember a paradox. But he didn't want the dark future to be the only future.

Their attacker did not like this struggle and blasted them again. Sally got ripped from Trey's arms; both were thrown into a maelstrom of energy. "No! Whaaaaa!"

* * *

That should fix things. Darkrai was satisfied. He turned around and headed back to the era of darkness.

* * *

There was a massive roar. Dialga was not happy.

Drakken felt afraid. When Dialga wasn't happy, Pokemon tended to die. So far, he had been safe. But what about now? Although battered and bleeding, he came up to Dialga's platform and bowed to him. "Master, what is it?"

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?"

He paused a bit so he didn't sound so winded. "I encountered Mewtwo in the Hidden Land; he hit me with a surprise attack. Celebi joined him later, but they teleported away after that. They must have been up to something."

"OF COURSE THEY WERE UP TO SOMETHING! I DETECTED UNAUTHORIZED TIME TRAVEL WHILE YOU WERE GONE."

That was bad, enough that Dialga might take his anger out on anyone. Drakken deflected such an outburst from killing him by redirecting it. "The Grovyle and the human?"

"MOST LIKELY. I WANT YOU TO GO AFTER THEM AND BRING THEM BACK BEFORE THEY DO IRREPARABLE DAMAGE. HISTORY MUST REMAIN AS IT IS."

"Of course, Master." He bowed, relieved.

"TAKE SOME TIME TO STUDY, THEN RECRUIT A SQUAD OF SABLEYES TO GO WITH YOU. I WILL SEND YOU BACK TO THE POINT THEY WENT. I DO NOT APPOVE OF TIME TRAVEL IN ANY DIRECTION BUT FORWARD, BUT WE MUST STOP THESE REBELS."

"I will do so."

* * *

"A rum-tum-tum, yum-tum-tum, boom boosh bah!"

Sally heard the voice over the steady ocean waves. Who was that? She searched her memory…

A thousand images crashed together, scattered all about her mind, then rolled off into dark corners, maybe never to be seen again.

"A yum-tum-tum, bah-domp-pah-chi!" There were footsteps, like some Pokemon was hopping down stone steps.

Sally started to sit up, but her head swam with pain. She looked over her yellow shirt and black pants. They didn't seem to be damaged or dirtied, aside from a bit of sand. But then why did her body feel like it had been blasted with enough power to ruin her memory too?

The hopping footsteps paused. "Oh, who's this?" The Pokemon ran over to her.

When she looked over, she saw a round pink Pokemon with long ears that stuck out of the sides. It had saucer-like bright blue eyes that looked over her curiously. A confused thought wandered into her consciousness, believing that the pink Pokemon should have been smaller and thinner. Or maybe taller. But that wasn't who was in front of her.

The Wigglytuff patted her. "A human! How rare! What's your name? Will you be my friend?"

She brought a hand up and signed, "Sally." Then she realized, maybe he wouldn't know. But then, she didn't know much either.

"Oh, it's been a long time since I've seen that. What was it? The language of the deaf? But you seem to hear, so?"

She pushed back her hair, showing off her hearing aid. Then she signed her name slower. If he wasn't familiar with it, the slower signs might help him understand.

"That's… Y. Sally?"

She nodded.

The Wigglytuff grinned. "Hi Sally! I'm Bartleby. I hope you'll be friends with me. What are you doing here in Beach Cave? It's going to be a nice morning, but most everybody else is sleeping."

She signed that she didn't know, then held her head. Maybe that would work.

"Oh, you got hurt and you don't know? Was it an accident?" When she shrugged, he asked, "Do you remember anything?"

She shook her head. What she did remember was all broken up and she couldn't make sense of it.

He looked sad. "Aw, that's too bad. I'll take you to the hospital, okay? We'll make sure that you're not any more badly hurt."

Standing up slowly, she managed to keep her head from swirling enough to follow Bartleby out of the dungeon and to the hospital. As she got settled into her room, the first rays of dawn came in through the window. It was beautiful and, somehow, seemed exotic and new. It also stirred up many questions in Sally's mind. What had happened to her? And could she figure out anything?

* * *

Trey tumbled along a grassy path. His bones seem to throb with pain. However he got up on his knees and looked around. His head felt faint, but he got to behind a bush before lying down. Then he waited and watched for his attacker.

It remained quiet.

But not silent. A cool breeze rustled the leaves, sending green fragrences into the air. In the trees around him, he heard chirps, calls, and song from various wild Pokemon. They were content; they felt safe. It felt so different. It reminded him…

His mind suddenly got confused. What did it remind him of? The rebel base, although housing many Pokemon, had not been so peaceful that Pokemon would feel free to sing in the halls. He looked up through the trees and saw stars and a full moon. A moon… he was in the past! He was out of the era of darkness.

He opened his bag and pulled out an Oran Berry and a Wonder Map. After eating the berry, he checked on his location. According to it… he was in Treeshroud Forest. That had been one of their goals.

Trey felt horrible, though. He had failed to keep Sally safe. They were supposed to use her Dimensional Scream to get the Time Gears, but he had lost her. Looking over the friendship bracelet she had made, he wondered where and when the collapsing Passage had tossed her. As he traced the orange threads, he also came to wonder when exactly she had given it to him. Trey knew it had been made by her, and he knew it was a sign of their friendship. But his mind seemed to come up with a blank on when she had given it to him. Maybe coming to an era when time flowed had confused his memories.

Well, his goal was still the same: get those five Time Gears and return them to Temporal Tower before it collapsed and brought about the era of darkness. Once he recovered from the attack, he would go further into the dungeon and get the first.

He wound up falling asleep before he realized it. A hoot from nearby woke him up. As he jumped to readiness, he saw a Hoothoot in the tree above him. The wild Pokemon looked down at him, blinked, then took off, showing no interest in battle.

"How strange," Trey whispered to himself. The past was very different.

He leapt into the tree himself and climbed up to get a look at the dungeon layout. The sky was an odd silvery-violet. Wondering, he stuck around. The silvery-violet lightened and lightened, turning to blue. The brilliant orange sun crept above the horizon. A new day had started.

The sight gave Trey a giddy shiver. He couldn't recall seeing so many bright and lively colors in one sight. It was a magnificent treasure, one that he could only hold with his eyes and memory.

A treasure only held with memory… the phrase seemed important, but Trey wasn't sure why. Had the accident affected his mind? He rubbed his head, but found no blood, no wounds, no sensitive spots. Something was off, though. It couldn't be as important as his mission, he reminded himself. He jumped to the next tree and began making his way through Treeshroud Forest.

Some time later, he began to feel uncomfortably hot. Especially on his skin. He paused in a shady spot by a river, trying to cool himself off. Why was he so hot? The sun was warming things up, true, so it was warmer than he was used to being. But somehow, even as he soaked his leaves and drank deeply of the clean and flowing water, he was still hot.

He changed his paths so that he was only traveling in shaded areas. However, even this did not help him. He collapsed in a hallway.

* * *

When Trey woke up, he found himself in the Treasure Town hospital. A salt-tinged breeze came through the window. There was a music box playing nearby, but it didn't seem to be in his room. And this place was truly one of hope and healing. It seemed especially foreign.

A Blissey came into the room. "Hi, stranger! Don't panic. We'll send you back to your home when you are better."

Trey tensed. They would send him back home? How did they figure out that he wasn't from this time?

"Someone took pity on you, wild one," she went on. "And good thing. There is something very strange about you. But I'm here to help. Oh, and your bag is over here. Such an old thing, but I guess it's lucky for you that you found it. I'll let you take it back."

Wild one? Oh. Trey realized that some explorers must have found him and assumed he was a wild Pokemon of Treeshroud Forest. It was quite a risk for explorers to take, to send a sick wild Pokemon into town to be healed. Wild ones varied in intelligence and constraint. He decided to use the assumption as his cover. Keeping his posture wary, he watched and listened quietly as the doctor chattered on. He noticed that she was a little cautious in dealing with him, but cared enough to go ahead and heal him.

"Some mishap in your hatching gave you your pale skin," she said. "It absorbs the sunlight like the skin of any other Grass type Pokemon, but your skin seems to be working much too well. It absorbs so much sunlight so quickly that it becomes dangerous to you. Perhaps you've noticed this isn't the only time you've fainted in the daytime? It's a tragic handicap."

So that was it. The adaptation that allowed him to survive in the era of darkness when the other Grass types fell to anemia was now working against him. He would have to operate at night or under the cover of caves, spending the day by using Dig to be out of harms way. But the sunrise had been so beautiful. It was a shame that he had to avoid the sun, especially when he was trying to save it along with time.

"But you would need some sun to live a healthy life. You should take refuge in a dark and cool spot whenever you start to get too warm. I brought you a berry drink to help you recover." She put the bottle, opened, near his bed. "When evening comes, the explorers that found you will come back to send you back to your forest. Just stay here; I forbade anyone else from coming in here." She then left the room.

After she left, Trey drank the berry smoothie. It tasted better than anything he'd had in the future, much richer and fresher. He stayed in the room, waiting. While there were a few books on the shelf, he had to resist reading them. They thought he was an uneducated uncivilized Pokemon, after all.

Instead, he watched out the window. There were a great many Pokemon out there, of a great variety. They seemed happy, peaceful, cooperative, and good. Most of them had probably never fought off inner or outer darkness. They openly trusted and loved each other. Trey felt jealous of them. At the same time, he felt an affirming of his responsibility. He had to make sure these good Pokemon could continue their happy peaceful lives.

He got a surprise, then, when he spotted a human walking on the paths outside. And not just any human; it was Sally! She was there in her loose yellow shirt and long black pants. She had that pale albino coloration. And she seemed safe, happy.

Trey smiled and considered sneaking out to go see her. He looked over the group with her. There was a Squirtle, a Treecko, and a Skitty. The group seemed quite close, but that didn't surprise Trey. Sally was so friendly, even in the era of darkness, that it was easy to get close to her.

He heard their conversations through the window. "That was a tough fight," the Squirtle said. "But I'm glad we arrested him."

"Tough?" the Skitty asked. "You weren't the one who had a type weakness against him. Oo, my head is still tender." He rubbed it with his paw. "I hope I didn't forget anything in that."

The others laughed. The Treecko then tugged at Sally's pants. "Hey, speaking of forgetting, did you remember anything yet, from before you joined the Guild?"

The human shook her head and signed, "It's all still a mess in here." She tapped her head.

She didn't remember? Trey gripped the friendship bracelet he wore. If he got out of here, there was a chance that she didn't remember him? Or their mission? And then what of his memory? He couldn't remember when Sally gave him this bracelet. And, as much as he tried to think about it, he couldn't remember back to when he was a Treecko. But he must have been one, at one point.

The group passed on. Trey wound up slipping the bracelet back into his Treasure Bag. It was only making him upset as he couldn't remember something related to it. In the evening, a Zangoose was allowed into the room. "You might do better in an area with caves around," he said. "Did you want to go elsewhere?"

He shook his head.

"All right, fellow. Well, take care of yourself. I don't want to see you passed out again." He took him to a Kadabra, who sent him back to Treeshroud Forest.

* * *

He had to do this at night. Trey went deep into the forest. As he made his way through the tree lined path, a storm burst overhead. The rain fell in cold droplets blown about by the raging winds. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by great claps of thunder. In the era of darkness, there weren't any storms. While the local Pokemon hid to remain dry, the Grovyle relished the wild weather. One could not fall into an endless unvarying routine in this era.

When he got to the final clearing, he felt wary. The storm had quieted, leaving the ground muddy and damp. Was there a guardian of the Gear in this time? He moved around the trees silently, but encountered no one. If there was one, his Opal Band was keeping him from being noticed. So Trey turned his attention to the Time Gear itself.

It was a marvel, a simple metal gear that emitted a green glow. It was slotted into a circular depression. Despite having no teeth to push off from, the Gear ticked and steadily turned around to measure the time. There was no nut or bolt keeping it in place. Perhaps it was tied in with aura, or something a regular Pokemon like himself could not see.

Trey had no idea how powerful it was, or if there was some way it was kept securely in place. He would imagine it to be so; even in this time of relative safety, no one would be idiotic enough to just leave it free to be taken. Right? He reached down and grasped the Gear, then pulled with all his strength.

He wound up falling over backwards as the Gear came out easily. In disbelief, he got up and looked at the Gear. At regular intervals, it seemed to tug at something. It was still working, even as he had removed it. And he felt it tug at him once, like it linked to his soul.

"You don't belong here," he said quietly. "Do you know what I'm… no, that's ridiculous."

There was a flash of strange energy that erupted from the depression where the Gear had been. He felt that tug again. Treeshroud Forest was going to freeze and if he didn't get a move on, he would freeze with it. He whipped out an Escape Orb and smashed it at his feet.

When he appeared outside the entrance to the dungeon, he waited a moment. He saw the wave of energy run out of steam at the edge of the forest. Looking inside, everything was frozen in time. But not paralyzed. The whole place seemed grayer than before, but it wasn't filled with darkness like the planetary paralysis had caused. It was only temporary and would be fixed once he got the Gears back to their proper location, Temporal Tower.

Trey placed the Time Gear in his Treasure Bag for safe keeping. He had to plan for the next theft. But even with it put away, he could feel the Gear ticking away to itself.

* * *

Trey waited just inside the entrance to Limestone Cavern. It had been several days since he took the Treeshoud Gear. Although it wouldn't have a guardian legend at the end, the one here was the most difficult of the five Gears to reach. So, against his wishes, this part of the plan had to rely on luck. He held onto the first Time Gear. "I need to encounter an explorer team in order to get through this place," he said softly.

It continued ticking and tugging.

He hard a noise, so put the Gear away. A moment later, he heard a voice. "I hope there's bright shiny treasure inside!" a female voice said.

Another female replied, "Um, yeah… I just hope we get something useful this time."

"Shininess is its own reward."

A Murkrow and a Shuppet came along. Trey waved to them. "Hey."

"Good morning," the Murkrow said cheerily, to an eyeroll from her ghostly partner. "You another explorer?"

"Kind of." He pointed into the dungeon. "You going in there?"

"Of course. Are you? We can compete for treasure!"

He shrugged. "I'm thinking about it. That place is said to be tough, and very deep. But something special seems to be at the end of it."

"See?" the Murkrow said to her partner. "I told you that this place had to be special."

"It's not like any of the dungeons are really mundane," the Shuppet argued. "But, this place is supposed to be extra dangerous?"

"Seems so," Trey said. "I wasn't sure about going in alone."

"Why don't we take him with us?" the Shuppet asked. "Extra help is good."

"All right. We're Team Ebony. I'm the leader Marcy and this is my good partner Sybil."

He felt surprised, expecting Marcy the Murkrow to put up more of a fight. They were too trusting. He, though, he wasn't going to make this more a risk than it was. "I'm George," he told them. "I'm a wanderer, more or less. Good to meet you."

"Good to meet you too, George," Sybil said.

"But we spilt any treasures fairly, all right?" Marcy said. "Okay, let's head on in for adventure and treasure!"

Limestone Cavern was lit by wooden torches on the wall. There seemed to be something magical about them, as a touch could turn the fires on or off. The walls were, of course, limestone. They were mostly a creamy white, but tints of green, blue, and yellow could be seen within individual rocks. There seemed to be an awful lot of dark and deep looking pits. Tossing a stone down them revealed that there was mud at the bottom, or nothing at all. Marcy and Sybil had no problem with the pits, as they could rely on wings or ghostliness to move through the air. Trey had to cling to walls or stick to paths.

"Did you hear that somebody stole a Time Gear from another dungeon?" Sybil asked Trey at one point.

"No, I hadn't," he lied. "That's a pretty audacious theft."

"No kidding," Marcy said. "I've seen the Gear before. It's real pretty. And it doesn't just shine, it glows! But even I know better than to take the Gear out of place. I still think the thief is somewhere in Treeshroud, frozen due to being an idiot."

"But the Time Gear can't be in the dungeon," Sybil pointed out. "If it was, then time would be moving very slowly and the magic would be trying to put it back in place. And the thief can't be an idiot, or a weakling. The Gears are kept in place by a tremendous force. You can't just pick one up and take off with it."

Maybe the Gears were aware of him, Trey thought to himself.

"Oh wow, look at that sparkly!" Marcy flew over to a coin on the ground. Sybil sighed.

There was a movement above the Murkrow. Trey noticed the rockfall just as the pieces began to slid. "Marcy!" He threw his leaf blades at the rocks, pulverizing them into less harmful small pieces.

She squawked, then flew away with the coin. "Oh my goodness. Thanks, George! It was a good thing we ran into you."

"Be more watchful," he told her. "Random happenings in a dungeon can kill you."

"No need to be so dramatic," she said, fluttering her wings.

"It's true, although deaths are rare," Sybil noted. "That would have hurt you badly, though."

"I'm fine. Let's keep going."

They trudged onward. There were many wild Pokemon in this dungeon, often trying to combat the trio in small rooms or on narrow walkways. And there were a great many loose rocks and mud pits. Add that to the sheer length of the dungeon, and Limestone Cavern was not a place to take lightly.

Eventually, they ran into a dead end level with a warp panel. "Oh my goodness, that was a long exploration," Marcy said. "My wings are beat."

"I almost solidified myself in a wall," Sybil said. "I'm exhausted too. But at least we found many good treasures."

"And a shiny box!" the Murkrow cheered, still crowing over her find of a sealed red container. "I can't wait to find out what's inside."

Trey couldn't risk the two of them talking about him, even if they didn't know his real name. "You two are really good explorers," he said. "You might have gotten away with the Golden Apple."

The word 'golden' hooked Marcy immediately. "Golden Apple?"

Sybil seemed interested too. "Isn't that the mythical fruit grown by Mew herself? There are many powers supposedly associated with it."

"I almost saw it a few weeks back," he told them. He hadn't, but he had read some explorer journals that made him fairly confident of its location. "It was to the north of here, at a mysterious place called Mount Fuji. I ran into locals who screamed at me to stay away, or else the guardian of the Golden Apple would devour me. I was by myself, so I didn't do anything about it."

"Why don't we go check the place out?" Marcy suggested.

"Marcy, Mount Fuji is a long distance to the north," Sybil pointed out. "We'll be gone from Treasure Town for at least a month if we try to find it. But then…" she glanced aside, thinking.

"I'm afraid that I have other business, so I can't head back right now," Trey said. "But I keep thinking about it. Having a Golden Apple would be a treasure to boast about."

"I think we should go check out Mount Fuji!" the Murkrow stated, with a deep desire to claim this treasure for her team.

"I agree," Sybil said. "Well, George, it was nice knowing you."

"Yeah, you're a hotshot explorer yourself," Marcy agreed. "Maybe we'll see you around later."

After saying goodbye, Team Ebony took off. Hopefully, they went straight for Mount Fuji. Smaller towns along the way could give them supplies and even identify that shiny box Marcy had. Now that they were gone, Trey settled down and took a rest. Once his energy was back up, he turned his attention to the dead end level.

It was a trick, of course. He uncovered the hidden switch and opened up a doorway disguised to look like part of the limestone rock face. There were a few more dungeon levels to pass after that, but not many. And now that he was alone, he could travel unnoticed along the walls and ceiling, avoiding encounters with the local wild Pokemon.

Deep within Limestone Cavern, he found another dead end. But this was a magnificent room. Stalagtites and stalagmites covered the ceiling and floor with delicate natural sculptures. These crystals were of all sorts of colors and forms. There were even rocks that looked cunningly like flowers. And they were just as delicate. Trey could remember Mewtwo saying that the slightest touch could cause them to crumble into dust.

Knowing this, he gingerly made his way across the room to where the Time Gear lay. He didn't pull on it as hard as he had the other, and it came out just as easily. He felt it tick and tug in unison with the one in his bag. Taking an Escape Orb, he smashed it in the depression the Gear had been in, so it didn't harm the limestone flowers.

That was two. The next three would require different tactics and force.


	21. Blood of the Legends

Trey moved through the foggy forest carefully. He didn't want to lift the fog this time. It helped to hide him from the locals. And the Opal Band would hide him from the Guardian. At least, for a little while. So he would have to find the entrance to Steam Cave on his own.

He noticed the Time Gears tugging stronger in a particular direction, both at once. Were they trying to hook up to the next one? Trusting the devices, he followed their lead until he came across the statue of Groudon. He was surprised to find it tipped over in this time too. What had knocked it over, if not the struggle against the era of darkness?

Knowing where that was, he was able to locate the Steam Cave entrance. The humidity was thick, hazier then before. However, it was moving ever so slightly, which made it more bearable than it had been when he and Sally had come through here. Still, Trey was relieved when he emerged into the cooler and less oppressive fog.

There was a roar as he tried to cross the open area to the last stairway. A giant red Pokemon emerged from the fog. "Turn back, or I will be forced to send you back," Groudon growled in a deep earthy voice. "I know what you mean to do here; you will be punished severely for this attempted theft."

Supposedly Groudon, Trey thought. "You aren't real," he said, then sent an Energy Ball at the mirage.

He roared in indignation, then sent a stream of flames after the Grovyle. It dissolved the fog in its direct path and made any droplets near it glow orange and red. Acting quickly, Trey launched a Totter Seed at him. It failed to hit. However, he didn't stay long enough to see that. He leapt onto a nearby wall and scrambled up quietly.

The Groudon mirage used Sunny Day, vanquishing the fog and brightening the area. While it made it more dangerous to Trey (probably without Uxie realizing it), he had already gotten up and over the ledge. The mirage roared again.

Now that the fog was clear, he saw Uxie floating above a stone platform in front of the lake he guarded. His mind was focused on the platform and battle below. From his words through the mirage, he wasn't going to listen to any reason for taking the Gear. So Trey did what he had to. He rushed across and slashed Uxie with Dark Edge across the head.

There was a massive scream as the mirage was ended, blending into the frightened gasp of pain from Uxie. The pixie collapsed to the ground; he looked up to Trey with closed eyes and an expression of bewilderment and fear. Deep inside, Trey felt a sudden conflict of thoughts. The darkness tried to hiss that Uxie should be killed, so there was no witness to his theft. But another strong force made him feel horrible guilt at having the blood of an innocent Pokemon on his leaves. No, not just innocent, not even just any legend, but the Being of Knowledge, an aspect of the mind that Trey valued greatly.

A strong tug from the Gears snapped him out of it. "Sorry," he said quietly, then went into the lake and swam quickly towards the dome of light.

It came out as easily as the others. When Trey surfaced from his dive, he noticed a golden light of a teleport from the platform. So Uxie had gotten away, and with his psychic third eye, he would know what Trey looked like. He might even know his name. And he could have sent that information to his two siblings, who guarded the remaining Gears.

Trey was going to have to be more careful.

* * *

It was the fourth day that Trey had been trying to cross the Quicksand Desert and it was still awful. There was absolutely no cover from the bright sun or the whirling sandstorm. He had to use Dig to rest every few minutes, either from overexposure to the sun or from the sand steadily beating away at his skin. It irritated his scar, leaving a stinging sensation across his face. His progress was slowed to a crawl. Even traveling at night didn't help.

Finally, he had to resort to digging his way through the sand in order to pass through the worst of the storm. It was miserable, trapped underground under shifting sands. If the structure of his improvised tunnel weakened, it collapsed on his body and he had to struggle up to the surface, than immediately go back down to continue on.

When he came up in the eye of the storm, he was momentarily relieved. "It wasn't that bad in the future," he grumbled. "It had all been hanging in place until we brushed it away with rain."

But then, that was probably one of the few good things about the era of darkness. It was not enough to make up for even a second of that horrible and tragic battle that he had experienced then.

Now he had to jump down into a whirlpool of sand, with geysers spitting up plumes of sand every few minutes. He had to resist watching it in awe in order to jump down in to drop to the next dungeon. Once he was out of the intense sun and sand, Trey began to feel better. He made as much progress as he could, then settled into a hidden nook to sleep.

He carried on in the morning, ending up at a vast underground lake. Trey had gotten into this room by crawling through a tunnel that led to the ceiling. After scrambling around, he found a shaded spot that seemed good for hiding and observing. He then looked around for Mespirit and found her. She was on a stone platform, much as her brother had been.

Her tails whipped around as she seemed tense and wary. Trey figured that he would have to enter the water silently to avoid her notice. And even then, she might know something was up when he approached the Gear. Or maybe she would feel the other three. He certainly did, feeling their ticks and tugs in his mind.

"I know someone's out there," Mespirit called. She had a voice that sounded like it should be playful, but blatantly revealed that she was angry.

Trey went still. He had his Opal Band, right? Right, it was there on his head. After several minutes, she still hadn't looked his way for very long. She was bluffing or oversensitive. She sighed, then paced around. Now she appeared deeply worried and upset.

Guilt twisted his insides. She knew her brother was badly injured. Or maybe even dead? No. no, he hadn't hurt Uxie that badly. And Trey didn't want to hurt Mespirit now. But in her state of mind, she would probably blow up (or blow him up) if she sensed him in any manner. Maybe if he knocked her out quickly, so she didn't notice… but then what about when he took the Gear and Quicksand Cave froze? He didn't want to leave her to get frozen while injured. And why hadn't he thought of that with Uxie?

Then again, he had underestimated how hard Dark Blade would strike.

He crept to a point above Mespirit's pacings.

She looked to the main entrance of the area, then vanished. Trey bit down on his tongue, to keep from saying something in disappointment. He had to keep his hiding place. Then he heard a voice from the entrance. "There's a lake, here underground?"

"Yeah, it's pretty common, actually, but most people don't go deep enough in caves to see… look, there's a glow out there!"

Trey held still as he watched a pair of Pokemon on the platform. There was a Squirtle and a Treecko, walking side by side. Although they seemed kind of familiar, he couldn't place them. Maybe he'd seen them on the road and never actually met them.

"That must be a Time Gear," the Treecko stated.

"Hold it!" Mespirit reappeared, now fuming with anger. "It's you!"

"Huh?" the Squirtle asked, in a startled and naïve tone. "What about us?"

"You two ruined Uxie and stole the Time Gear he had, didn't you? He shouldn't have trusted you."

"No we didn't," the Treecko said, flustered. "We met him, but…"

"He told me about your intrusion and how you were the only ones who could have known. And now he's dead because of you!"

Trey felt a moment of cold horror. He had killed Uxie? But, how? And how could he ever forgive himself of that?

"N-No, he's not dead," the Squirtle said, afraid but giving Trey a sense of relief. "He's in Treasure Town's…"

"Shut up! I haven't felt him in five days! Now I'm going to ruin you!" She sounded in a mood to kill.

She was distracted, though, making this the perfect moment to attack. Trey let go of the rock he was hanging onto, flipped around on his way down, then slashed her on the neck with Dark Blade. Fairly certain that the young explorers would be too frightened to attack him, but soft enough to take her out of there, he felt that this was the best way to handle it. "I'm sorry," he told Mespirit after letting her go. "But it must be done; I need that Time Gear."

"Hey!" The Squirtle managed to find courage enough to step forward and stand up against him. "You're not taking that Time Gear!"

"You two are going to stop me?" Trey asked skeptically. He didn't want to bother with these kids.

"Yeah, we will," the Treecko insisted. There was something to him, some sort of sense of honor and justice that, while nice, was horribly misplaced.

As much as he didn't want to, he replied, "Fine." He then sent a pair of regular leaf blades at them, angling them so that they didn't strike at full force. That should inform them of how serious he was and yet enable them to leave with Mespirit. "This is more important," he told them, then dove into the waters.

They were frigid, trying to freeze up all his senses. Trey pressed on, following the dome of light until he came upon the fourth Time Gear. He took that.

But as he held onto it, he felt a touch of déjà vu. Not from taking the Gear, but from… something. Maybe coming back through this wretched desert again? Or maybe… he remembered Celebi telling him that she always felt like Trey was on the back curve of a time loop. Of course, he'd never figured out what she meant there. Maybe this was just a side effect of time travel.

He didn't bother to check on the kids or Mespirit, but used an Escape Orb to leave quickly.

* * *

The Primal Sableyes appeared in Crystal Crossing.

Trey almost felt angry. He was so close to his goal. But he couldn't lose sight of it now, especially not to some little giggling devils. Going in small tunnels and following the Gears' lead, he made his way to his goal. He entered this cavern the same as the last.

Azelf was hovering over his platform, quiet. Only the occasional swish of his tails showed that he was alert. He was focused, prepared. Trey was cautious as he crept along the ceiling. A slight misstep and the legendary would be onto him.

Or, a slightly loose fragment in the ceiling would slip out when he let go, causing it to fall into the water. The tiny splash that broke the silence was like a clap of thunder to both highly alert Pokemon. Azelf turned to the splash, then looked up.

Trey leapt off the ceiling, landing six feet from the pixie. He rushed forward, then rolled to the side as Azelf sent a blast of air at him. He knew who he was dealing with. Moving in still, he struck Azelf down with Dark Blade. Then he said, "I'm sorry, but understand that I'm saving your life." He struck Azelf once more, knocking him out of commission.

He then moved closer to the lake and looked over it. He had two Escape Orbs. If he left one with Azelf, would the initial expanse of the freeze energy be enough break the orb and get the pixie out of here? Maybe, but he wasn't certain. How else could he make sure that Azelf was gone? Maybe just place him on the warp panel and hope that someone came across him? That seemed far-fetched, but if that was all he could plan…

"Hold it, you son of a Chansey!"

Trey froze. Who had snuck in here with him? The voice didn't seem familiar… and yet it did. He turned to see, but something struck him in the arm. A fire ran through his nerves, causing them all to rebel. A Stun Seed. Then he found himself being pulled away from the lake by the same Squirtle and Treecko that had shown up at Quicksand Desert. What were they doing here? "You aren't getting this one," the Squirtle said firmly to him.

There was one thing she didn't think of; them grabbing him broke the effect of the paralysis. "This is more important than you realize," he replied, right before throwing them off and making a dash for the lake.

But right before he could dive in, the surface of the lake rapidly turned white and hard. It froze with surprising speed, then continued growing upward into large crystals with sharp points. He had to cut himself short before one of those crystals impaled him. This wasn't supposed to be happening.

Trey's heart started pounding. "What's going on?" he asked, stunned.

"Uxie told me about you," Azelf said. When he glanced into one of the crystals, he saw a reflection showing a Skitty with the pixie. "So I prepared an extra measure, in case I fell. You're not getting my Time Gear."

With his mind reeling, Trey wasn't sure what to do for a moment. This was one of the five that he had to have. He couldn't replace it with any other Gear that happened to be lying around other dungeons. And… and something about this group of young Pokemon stirred his mind. He wasn't sure what it was. It was the same strange déjà vu as before.

No, he couldn't lose his focus. Not now. He turned back to the others. "You don't realize what you're doing. My mission must be completed, or else. You lost to me before; do you want to challenge me again?" He could defeat all four of them, if it came down to it. Azelf was already injured and bleeding while the three explorers seemed inexperienced. And they couldn't surprise him any further. Really, if only the young fools knew the danger their peaceful world was in…

But they wouldn't back down. "Of course," the Treecko said defiantly. "You're the one who's causing the problem."

"What you're doing isn't right," his Water friend added.

"Do you even know what the problem is?" he asked them. Of course they couldn't understand, but this struck him as just plain ridiculous. Before he could tell them anything more, a dark mass shot across the room right for him. Trey dodged the all too familiar attack. When he looked around, he saw a ghostly yellow antenna moving across the floor. How the…? "Drakken! What are you doing here?"

The Dusknoir came up through the floor, staring him down. "I came after you, of course. And now I have you cornered."

It wasn't going to end like this. It couldn't end like this. To express his frustration, he got ready for a fight. "Are you so sure about that?" he taunted.

Drakken narrowed his red eye at Trey. The Grovyle looked at him equally hard, carefully reaching into his Treasure Bag. When his enemy rushed at him to attack, he grabbed an Escape Orb and smashed it against the Dusknoir's fist. It sent Trey right back to the entrance of Crystal Cave.

But now the underground lake was turned to crystal ice and Primal Dialga's top servant was in this time, after him. What did he do now?

* * *

Trey lay low for a few days around Crystal Crossing. He watched the lake, but it remained frozen. A few times, he walked on it. That only confirmed that it was not ordinary ice, nothing he could use Dig to get through. The Time Gears tugged hard at their fifth unit. For a bit, he wondered if it could bring itself out just by that connection. That didn't work, but it was a nice thought.

With nothing to do but wait, his mind began to wander. It kept drifting back to the battle at Amp Plains. Even when waiting at Limestone Cavern, he hadn't had a moment since where there wasn't something else to distract him from it. The images of death and chaos played cruel games with his heart, stirring the darkness and trying to drive him to murder. If one of those Sableye were still around the dungeon, he was almost certain that it would be a real battle just to restrain himself from killing the Primal. Sometimes he wound up chipping some crystals off the wall, imagining that Drakken was in those crystals. Other times, he cried.

One day, he noticed the triplets in the cavern. They weren't trying to hide; Mespirit's laughter echoed around the crystiline halls, stirring him from his restless thoughts. For a moment, he mistook it for the Sableyes. But then, their giggles were nothing like the joyous and cheerful laughter coming down the halls now. Not too much later, he saw the three floating through the halls, talking quietly amongst themselves.

"No, it was a Geodude," Azelf said. "A friendly sort of guy, really. He just wanted some slopes to roll down, but didn't want to harm the crystals. I told him it was okay."

"Yeah, they'll grow back in good time," Uxie agreed.

"In the meantime, it makes pretty crystal dust for the hallways!" Mespirit cheered, swooping down to pick up some of the crystal dust to spread around. It was pretty, sparkling in a whole range of blues.

They went on. After a moment, Trey crept out of his hiding place and followed them. Where was Drakken? There was a good chance that he would show up. But the triplets were together. Even with his training and equipment, the Grovyle didn't think he could take on all three at once. They would be able to coordinate their attacks as if they were one. So he would have to work around them.

They came to the underground lake that Azelf guarded. Uxie looked over the crystalized lake, then said to the others, "Well this is extreme, but we don't have much of a choice."

"Or advice from high," Mespirit noted, on a sad tone.

"But sealing the Gears in the immediate area will buy us time to track down the thief and retrieve the ones he stole. So, are we ready?"

As the three spoke to each other, Trey wondered why they were talking aloud. If they could use telepathy, why not? Unless they were confident that they weren't being watched. And their plan was to seal many Time Gears? They really didn't realize what was going on. He only needed five, only a specific five, that were supposed to be on top of Temporal Tower. Maybe he should have said something when he had the chance, like back in the hospital. But then, would they believe him? It would sound like a crazy story in this peaceful age. And how could he know who to trust? He didn't know anyone in this time other than Sally and Drakken. Anyone could betray him.

"All right, let me clear this one up," Azelf said. He focused his power and removed the crystal ice from the lake.

Good. Once the three of them were focused on their sealing power, he should be able to slip into the lake and take the Gear unnoticed. At least, until he had it removed. It would give them time to get away too. This was a lucky moment. Trey silently moved along the wall, reaching the point that was closest to the Gear. He waited patiently for the chatter to be gone for a few minutes, then dove into the lake.

He got blindsided by a Sucker Punch underwater. Drakken, Trey thought spitefully. Quieting his inner darkness, he struck back with Dark Blade. He missed the Dusknoir and instead got grappled and pulled deeper underwater. The Grovyle fought back by kicking backwards; he could last a decent amount of time underwater, but he would need to surface before the Ghost did. Managing to get one arm free, he flipped himself around and lashed out with Leaf Blade; it caused a tremendous disturbance in the water.

Unfortunately, that disturbance disguised a Air Slash from above. A Thunder Wave soon followed, leaving Trey weak and paralyzed. Drakken grabbed him tightly in one arm, but managed not to disrupt his paralysis state. He then brought Trey above water, where the three pixies were waiting.

A trap, Trey thought. The whole scenario had been a trap and he had fallen right for it. So he'd failed in this last ditch effort to save the future from darkness.

The shame of failing Celebi hurt the most.


	22. An Execution Revisited

The Magneton officer had gone through his Treasure Bag, taking the Time Gears and the Opal Band. Trey was left tied up in a room with Drakken, one of his Sableye minions, and the local Sheriff, a Magnezone. The room was dark, save for a shaft of moonlight that fell on him. Even if he could free himself of the ropes, the Sheriff made certain that he was kept paralyzed at all times. There was no escape.

"What's your name, Grovyle?" the Magnezone asked.

Next to him, the Sableye slashed off the rope binding his snout. Trey winced at the act, even if he only felt the air move, not the claw. It stirred something in his mind, some horrible image that made his heart want to scream, even if he didn't remember it all that clearly.

"What is your name?" Drakken repeated

He kept silent. The Dusknoir knew his name. He had cursed it to heck at one point, if Trey recalled right. Still, he saw no reason to answer any question that they had.

And they had a lot. Where did he get the Treasure Bag and an old Guild Badge? Trey realized he couldn't answer that one, even if he wanted to. What was he planning on doing with the Time Gears? Why was he out to steal them? Where and who was his partner? Was there anyone else he was working with? Where had he come from? Why had he attacked the triplets when they were simply doing their duty? Did he have any grudges?

As it became apparent that he wasn't talking when they were simply asking questions, the Sheriff twisted his magnet hands around. "We need you to cooperate. We have been polite. Please answer the questions."

He didn't say anything. He didn't even shake his head. He just looked at them, mostly Drakken.

The Magnezone then fired a Thunderbolt into him. The pain of an unguarded attack like that was excruciating. But as the Sheriff said something, Trey's mind stirred. The jolt of electricity and a giggle from the Sableye had reminded him of something.

He had nearly been executed by a Sableye crew under the command of Drakken, but it seemed to have happened before and after Drakken had become a Dusknoir. And he had been sentenced, not as a Grovyle, but as a Treecko. It was him, and… and… Stacy, and Kip, while Sally had been dragged off the Primal Dialga. They had been Team Marmalade, a novice explorer team that had been captured and sent to the future for no apparent reason.

But there had been a reason, Trey realized. And that reason was him. Drakken had wanted to make sure to kill him, both as a Grovyle and before he could grow into being a Grovyle. It was his failure to steal the Time Gears, his failure to recognize a good trap, that had killed the three best friends that he had ever had.

The Sheriff tried to get his attention by attacking him again, but Trey screamed and tried to lash out. The images of Stacy being slashed by the Sableyes, the pained gasp of Sally when Drakken had taken her away, the thud of when Kip hit the floor, those were all going to repeat themselves horribly soon. And when it all mixed with everything else, of the isolation with Bubbles and the clan, but then the total horror when she had viciously and terribly killed one of their own under the madness of the darkness… and others… Trey struggled and tried to strike out as if he could fight those images away. But one of the ropes slipped up his neck, then nearly strangled him.

His captors managed to cut the rope before he died, but he blacked out.

* * *

"Yeah, you'd think he was going through something horrible," a voice said. There were crackles of electricity. "But who knows? Maybe he has seen something awful and the interrogation reminded him of it."

Too true, Trey thought. He was lying on a straw bed in a locked room. Some daylight fell on him. As his skin was starting to get warm, he considered getting up and moving. But his mind was in an awful mess. How could he forget about Stacy and Kip, and his life in the past? It had happened in the accident in the Passage, but it still seemed unreal. Maybe that was why Sally never remembered anything. That enemy which followed them, it had attacked with a spell that harmed both mind and body. Was it Drakken? But if it were him, why didn't he just kill them there? Or appear with them?

And was there any chance left of him changing the future?

"Still, that's no reason to do what he did," another voice said. "He could have ruined the whole world."

It was going to be ruined, he thought. And it would be ruined forever. What could they do now against Primal Dialga?

And yet, that wasn't as much of a guilt bringer as knowing that he had failed to save his friends, those many from this time and those few from the future. They were going to die, some sooner than the rest, and they had no clue that it would happen. This was a total failure, which made him a horrible Pokemon, and friend.

For a bit, he considered escaping when they came for him. But that wasn't to be; one of the Magneton guards zapped him into paralysis before they entered and tied him up securely. They gave him back his bag, perhaps not wanting anything that could add a paradox left behind. Unwittingly adding insult to injury, they handed him over to four Sableyes and Drakken to be dragged back to the future.

Drakken put his hand on Trey's shoulder as they left the Sherrif's office. "You know what's going to happen now, don't you Trey?" he asked in an amused cruelty. "You could have been a great asset to us, but you tried to fight fate. Don't worry; your punishment will be appropriate for the crime."

"Wheh heh heh," a couple of the Sableyes snickered upon overhearing this. Drakken smiled smugly in Trey's view. The Grovyle would have liked to express his opinion about that, but was tied up too well.

And then they had to shove him right through the main road of Treasure Town, in full view of everyone who lived there. All the people that he had known, in a time that seemed terribly long ago and terribly right at hand: Kazza the Alakazam, Mimien the Mr Mime, Casey the Kangaskan, Keaton and Richard the Kecleon shopkeepers, Bethany the Buneary, Matti the Marill, Azeri the Azurill. And then the Guild members: Flora, Larry, Chiaka, Bartleby, Charlie, Junior, Senior… and Team Marmalade.

He looked to Sally, who gave him a bewildered look. Did she recognize him? Did she realize the danger they were all in? And he saw Kip, the Skitty whose words had helped him temper the darkness inside him. And Stacy, his first love, the sweet girl who treated her team like extended family. And… he saw himself, Trey the Treecko who loved books and had no idea about the horrors he would shortly encounter.

Trey the Grovyle struggled for a bit. If there could only be some mercy… surely, the other legendaries didn't want the world to fall into endless darkness and paralysis. Hopefully, there could be some last minute change to this horrible play. But there wasn't. The ropes were too tight and the Sableyes too watchful. One shoved him through the dimensional hole and to the front steps of Temporal Tower in the era of darkness.

Once they got through, the Sableye with him giggled, then continued to push him along the halls. Others joined in. After a while, they slashed his ropes, then tossed him and his old Treasure Bag into a cell. Before he could get turned around, they had the steel bars down tight.

A sick feeling rose in Trey's gut as he recalled what was happening elsewhere. Drakken would take Sally and run off to the future with her. While everyone was shocked, the Sableyes would grab him, Stacy, and Kip. Marmalade would try to fight back, but Trey would wind up with a gash down his face that would leave him practically blind. They would get thrown in a cell while Sally was sent to Primal Dialga. Then, at some unspecific time, they would be brought to an execution chamber, tied up with him as a Grovyle… and then…

And then somehow, the young Treecko would survive.

Trey ran his paw along his head leaf. It still didn't make sense. He had been weakened by infection and fever. The Sableyes had slashed the heck out of him. So how did he wind up alive, sometime in the past of this future?

He then recalled something he hadn't thought much about. In his memory, the Grovyle had spoken to Stacy while they had been left alone and tied up. What about? He couldn't remember. Maybe, just maybe, something had happened.

Ropes… wall… slashing…

A plan began to formulate in Trey's mind. He didn't know how far he could take it. But there was a potential chance to save his friends after all.

When the Sableyes next came for him, he was ready. He kept his body limp and let them drag him off to the execution site. They tied him up, then went to fetch the other three. Trey observed the stockade room without the effects of fever. It was a large one, completely enclosed in gray stone. The floor was made of tan dirt. The door was just an open hole. Around them, there were floating ghostly lights. He was tied up to a tall wooden pole. Two other poles were to his left. Inexplicably, they let him keep his Treasure Bag. Okay, this was looking doable. That is, if he could get someone's trust.

The Sableyes came back in with the three Pokemon members of Team Marmalade. Kip was giving his guards a hard time, but they knocked him down with a Stun Seed and left him alone. They did the same to Stacy before pulling her to the middle post. They simply dropped the younger Trey. The older Trey saw how red his wound was and shuddered. The Treecko struggled to do something, but he was clearly not capable of doing anything in this situation.

"Hands off me," Stacy said, trying to be brave. But it didn't work. They started tying her up. One of them hit her hard, causing her to cry out. The older Trey almost closed his eyes, but couldn't bring himself to ignore her like that, even with the hideous giggling that the torment caused.

Again, he felt guilty in forgetting them. It wasn't really his fault… but what had caused his and Sally's amnesia? What had attacked them? Probably one of Primal Dialga's forces, but there wasn't much of an opportunity of learning that one's identity.

Once the Sableye squad had Stacy all tied up, they pointed and laughed at her. Trey wondered at why he had never heard a single one of them speak, ever. Were they not quite civilized?

Then one of them yelped, leaping several feet into the air. The younger Trey had managed to hit it in a sensitive spot. All he got for that was extra kicks until he fully collapsed, then extra torment as they were tying him up. Why did his life seem to end up like that a lot? He tried to do something good and wound up getting his snout shoved into the dirt for the effort.

The Sableyes looked to each other when they were done, then hopped away to report the job done. Next to him, Stacy was looking at his younger self. "Trey."

Time to go for it. "Stacy," he called quietly.

She ducked her head back, then turned to look at him. "Huh? How do you know my name?"

"We don't have time for that. Do you have your Treasure Bag?"

"Um…"

"I can get us out of this, but you have to trust me. Now do you have it?"

She raised her head, but still seemed shy. "Um, yes, I do."

"Good. Now, those Sableyes attack with their claws. They're going to come back in here on the order to execute us."

"Execute? But why? Maybe you were a thief and a bad Pokemon, but we haven't done anything…"

He felt queasy at her calling him a bad Pokemon… but he couldn't let that stop him. She didn't realize who he really was. "It's what you could do that their leader fears. That's all that they need to kill you and your friends. That is why we must do something, anything, to get away."

"But we're tied up."

"I know, but their Fury Attack isn't well aimed. It's enough to cut through these ropes."

"The ropes?" She glanced down at all that was holding her to the post.

"If they weaken enough, do whatever you can to get out the rest of the way. It's going to be hard, but our lives depend on it."

"What about Trey? He's gotten sick so suddenly. I don't even know if he's paying attention."

The Grovyle knew that his younger self wasn't. That was why he had to wing this whole thing. "I'll handle that."

"Why are you helping us?" Stacy asked, curiously.

"I'll explain later," he said, looking at the door. Drakken was entering the room, accompanied by nine Sableyes. The older Trey took a deep breath and hoped against all odds.

* * *

Stacy felt bewildered. So much had changed so suddenly. This morning, if it were still the same day, they were congratulating and thanking Drakken on a job well done in catching the Time Gear thief. Now Drakken was trying to kill them, Trey seemed to be half-dead, and she was plotting an escape with the mysterious Grovyle.

But to save her friends, she was willing to do anything. Resolve started to form within her shell. She could do this. She could be strong. However, what if they didn't attack as the Grovyle thought they would? No, don't give in to doubt like that. There had to be hope, and mercy for Pokemon who tried to do good always.

The Sableyes looked to the Dusknoir, who held them off. He went over and picked up Kip by the skin behind his neck. "You could be blessed by the darkness, if you so choose," Drakken told him. "It is a part of you, so stop denying it. Embrace your darkness by joining us."

Kip held his ears back. "I will only embrace the light of my darkness," he growled. "I want nothing to do with total darkness."

"So be it. I gave you the chance." He then flung Kip hard into the stone wall, making a nasty thump. The Skitty then fell on the floor. Stacy felt sick on seeing that. Kip was trying so hard to become acceptable, but the only thing he got for his declaration away from darkness was to be tossed away like junk. Although it inverted what she had believed, she felt no regret now in acting against Drakken.

Drakken then spoke to the Sableyes. While he did that, the Grovyle whispered, "Get ready. This won't be pleasant."

Stacy swallowed her nervousness, or tried to. "I know," she said softly.

"When you hit the ground, close your eyes."

The nine Sableyes then giggled as if amused by something. Probably some twisted joke, the Squirtle felt. They didn't seem like normal Pokemon.

"Things must remain as they are," Drakken told them, as if it were a death sentence. "All unknowns and rebels must be removed. And thus, this is your fate." He then nodded.

The Sableyes came forward and began to attack with their claws, furious and wild. It was just like the Grovyle had said. And it hurt. Stacy tried to be brave, but a few times, she squealed at a particularly close hit. Then she noticed the ropes snapping away from misaimed swipes. She pressed her paws against the ropes until she felt they could almost give way. Although she was feeling faint, she attacked the ropes with a simple hit. The weak attack worked, breaking the ropes entirely and causing her to drop to the ground. Although injured, she made it clear that she intended to fight for her life, and for those of her friends.

Surprised by this behavior, the Sableyes jumped back and squalled. Almost as soon as Stacy got down, the Grovyle got himself free as well. He reached his bag; Stacy remembered his odd instructions and closed her eyes. She heard the shattering of an orb followed by sharp shrieks and squalls. "It's just a Luminous Orb!" Drakken called out, although he sounded pained as well. "The light will fade!"

Stacy heard the snapping of ropes, but didn't hear Trey hit the ground. Rather, she felt herself grabbed, and then dragged down. When she opened her eyes, there was only a faint glow. Yellow dirt faced her. When she turned her head, she saw that she was in the left arm of the Grovyle; Trey was in the right, unconscious from the attacks and his fever. It tugged at her heart.

"Shh," the Grovyle hissed, but that was it. He seemed intent on listening.

The sounds above were muffled, but she heard the Sableyes squeak. "What!" Drakken demanded, worried. "That damn… Where did they go?"

The confused sounds from the Sableyes made their lack of knowledge clear.

"I don't care what you think! Go find them! We can't let those rebels remain alive."

The group raced from the room to search the halls. The Grovyle waited for a moment, then pulled them above ground. Stacy immediately turned her attention to Trey, giving him a Reviver Seed. He stirred, enough to eat an Oran Berry she offered him. She saw the Grovyle go over to check on Kip. Soon, he walked back over with the Skitty. "Not too bright, are they?" Kip said.

"You're all right," Stacy said, smiling at him.

His fur was matted together with blood, and some bruises showed through. But he was able to walk, maybe even fight. "Of course I am; I've got a hard head and I can play dead as good as anybody. So how is he?"

"Still weak."

"We can't stay here for long," the Grovyle told them. "There's no pardons with this group."

"How are we…?" she was going to ask how they would do that with Trey in the state he was, but then a Sableye flew into the room, hit the middle post, and fell down unconscious.

They were worried, but then Sally ran into the room. She looked frazzled, but smiled when she saw them. Then she got worried again when she saw Trey and how sick he was. She knelt by him and Stacy.

"Good work on getting free, Sally," the Grovyle said. "Do you remember me?"

She looked at him, then thought. Nodding, she signed something. Unfortunately, Stacy couldn't tell what she was trying to say.

The Grovyle still understood her. "Yes, exactly."

"Oh right, you were his partner," Stacy said. "Or Drakken said so."

"Um, we'd better get going," Kip said. "I'd like to get out of this fruitcake place."

"Right," the Grovyle said. Sally picked Trey up. "If we head down, we should find the exit to the caverns." He led them out.

It was a hurried and tense trip down the strange tower. They had to hide from wandering Sableyes, then rush to the next passage down. When they got to the exit platform, there was a long stone path heading below them. The Grovyle headed down, watching and occasionally attacking something just out of view.

The world around them really was paralyzed, Stacy noticed. Rocks that should have been falling were hanging in midair. There was no wind, no light in the sky. Everything was opposite of what it should be. Sort of like the situation with the Dusknoir and the Grovyle. She should be doing whatever the Dusknoir, the accepted hero, said. Instead, she was following the thief, the Grovyle. It made sense at the moment, but then it didn't. And then, the thief was the one who wanted to help them when the accepted hero wanted to kill them.

They came, oddly enough, to the entrance of a cave. The Grovyle held a hand up for them to wait, then looked the way they had come. "I guess we're okay to stop for a bit. How's he doing, Sally?"

She was holding him in her arms, so only indicated that he was still asleep and fevered. She sat down against the wall, not bothering to put him down on the hard rock.

"What now?" Stacy asked, panting a bit.

"Or more important, what the frell is going on?" Kip added.

"Well first of all, my name is Trey," the Grovyle told them.

"What?" Stacy asked, startled. "But that's his name too."

He seemed to know that, because, "That's because I am him."

"That's crazy," Kip said.

Sally shook her head. Adjusting how she held the Treecko, she pointed to the Grovyle's scar. Then she pointed to their Trey.

"That's right," Trey the Grovyle said. "This is when I got the scar."

"But you're a thief time traveler, and…" Stacy started to say.

"No, I'm a bookworm ninja," the Grovyle corrected.

Kip snickered. "Well that sounds like our Trey, anyhow. The only person that can be described with those two words in one phrase."

"Which you made up," he pointed out.

"Maybe," Stacy admitted. "But then how are you here in two different bodies? I mean… it shouldn't make sense."

"We have a couple of friends who helped us get to the past initially," Trey said. "If we're where I think we are, we may be able to find them in the forest below."

"And why doesn't Sally remember anything?" Stacy asked. "And why did you attack us back in Mespirit's lake? You could just be making this up to trick us." She ducked her head in her shell, very confused.

The Grovyle did wince on hearing that, and looked down guiltly. "Yes, I did… and I'm sorry about that. I didn't remember at the time, but…" he reached into his Treasure Bag and pulled out two things: a Guild badge and an old friendship bracelet. "I still have these."

Stacy took the badge and wiped some of the grime away. 'Team Marmalade' was hidden there. So… "Trey? But how could you forget about us?"

"Sally and I were attacked on our way to the past," he told them. "I didn't see who it was, but she pulled me out of harm's way. She took the brunt of the attack, and thus lost most of her memory. I lost some of mine; I had just enough to remember our mission and all the reasons why I hated this era of darkness. So I didn't know…" he froze, then brought a paw to his lips for silence.

There was a distant giggle of a Sableye.

"Let's go," Trey the Grovyle said. The others agreed and followed him into the cave.

It was a peculiar dungeon, with long thin walkways over dizzying heights. And those walkways moved, constantly, so it took a careful eye and planning to end up at the passage of a steel gate. Every now and then, they heard a cry, call, or giggle from the pursuing Sableyes. They didn't encounter one on the way down, but there were plenty of wild Pokemon to block their escape route.

And these wild Pokemon were different. They seemed feral compared to the ones from Stacy's time. They watched with wild paranoid eyes and attacked even if they had to go out of their way to do so. Some of them seemed as malicious as the Sableyes. "Even the wilds have gone into darkness," Kip noted in a grim tone.

"They're the Primals," Trey told them. "They have returned to pure base instinct and hatred. They only think of their own survival and will kill anyone that might be a threat." He glanced back up at the tower. "A few Primals still hold some shreds of intelligence, enough to fool and manipulate others. Drakken is one of them; so is his master."

But that small exchange ended there for the time being.

At the end of the strange dungeon, they found themselves immediately standing in front of another one, this one within a forest. They hadn't been in there long when two strange Pokemon teleported right in front of them. One was a bit taller than Sally and feline in form. The other was fairy-like, around two feet tall. And quite pink, at that. Stacy thought that her color might be a liability in this darkness.

"Sally?" the feline asked incredulously. "And Trey? What are you doing here?"

"Oh I get it now," the pink one said. "This is the crossing point."

"What are you talking about?"

"Chill out," Trey told them. "We're kind of being pursued here. Okay, real quick, this is Stacy and Kip, my other two teammates from the past when I was him," he pointed to the Treecko, "and this would be Mewtwo, the son of Mew, and Celebi, the Time Travel Pokemon. They're the ones who got us back to the past." He looked to the two legendary Pokemon. "Something got screwed up."

"Obviously, or you wouldn't be here now," Mewtwo said. The group began moving into the dungeon.

"So everything in the time loop must have gone exactly as before," Celebi said, disappointed.

"What the frell is going on, I ask again?" Kip asked, again.

"The group of us have been moving along a stable time loop," Celebi explained. "A time traveler goes into the past, does something to his past self, then goes back. His past self, in the meantime, lives life until he becomes a time traveler, goes back and does the exact same thing as before, then continues on. Time loops are usually small and that's a very simplistic example. This time loop, though, is quite massive and complex. I didn't intend on it to happen. It just did."

"I got pulled into the future in your event," Trey the Grovyle said to Stacy. "Then somehow, I wind up in a time between our home time and this time. I lived… I don't know, it's impossible to tell…"

"Twelve years," Celebi said. "You arrived as Mew and Mewtwo went to find Sally when she was seven, and you left for the past when she was nineteen, by her perception."

"Right, I lived twelve years in this era of darkness. She and I met, we trained up for the mission, then we went to the past. And then, something attacked us in the Passage of Time and screwed up our memories. So I forgot quite a bit up until a little while ago, and Sally forgot just about everything on her life."

"You did?" Mewtwo asked, shocked.

She nodded slowly.

"Thus, everything remained exactly as it was. Except I still don't know how I went from that to this," Trey pointed to his younger self, then himself.

"If it's a stable time loop, I will be able to take him and place him at the point where I found you originally," Celebi said. "And it gives us another shot at fixing Temporal Tower."

"That broken down place you just came from is on the brink of collapse in your home time," Mewtwo explained. "Trey and Sally went back to gather five specific Time Gears in order to fix that."

"If we have another chance, let's take it," Trey said.

"This is all very weird," Stacy said, having considered what they were talking about. Then she smiled up at the Grovyle, her Trey as much as the one in Sally's arms was. "But I believe you now. You are one of us. Right Kip?"

"Thinking about this time travel gives me a headache," the Skitty grumbled. "But fine. If the ninja bookworm Trey says so, I'll believe it."

"So long as we're setting things back right," Celebi said. Stacy thought she heard a hurt tone in that, but she couldn't figure out why. Maybe she was just imagining things.

The two legendary Pokemon led them to a strange thing of glowing blue archways in a tunnel, which led to another dimensional hole. "It feel stable enough," Mewtwo said. He stopped by Sally and put his paw on her arm. "If I had time, I'd help heal your memory, but…"

She smiled, but shook her head. They didn't have time.

"I hope you'll remember me before," he paused, as if uncertain about saying something.

"How nice of you." Drakken appeared, along with nine Sableyes, in between them and the Passage of Time. "We have all the rebels in one place, Master Dialga. We can destroy them now."

There was that horrible roar again. When Stacy looked up to the source, she saw a frightening sight. There was a giant of a Pokemon standing on a cliff above them. His armor was dark blue and rough looking. And, although his neck was so tall, she could see that his eyes glowed horribly red.

"There is no escape," Drakken said in a dark tone. "History must not be changed. At all. No reason is good enough. Your very life," he pointed to Celebi, "corrupts and taints the purity of time. You must be eliminated by Dialga himself."

"I am not the corrupter," Celebi said, but her bluff wasn't that good. She was noticeably nervous.

So too was Trey, Stacy noticed. He seemed to break at that point. He felt helpless, but didn't want to feel that way, yet couldn't think of a way out of this trap. She could, though. She wasn't too sure of it. While Stacy might have been the leader of Team Marmalade, she usually wasn't the source of their best plans. But if she could just get a moment…

She turned to Kip. "Can you distract them from Celebi a sec?" she whispered to him.

"Suicidally?" he asked. However, his perked ears showed that he had confidence.

"Preferably not, but do it."

He nodded, then stepped forward. "Uh-huh, your master is real pure," Kip taunted. "Pure darkness, madness, and evil purity. Ye legends, I thought I'd seen the worst in an outlaw Happiny, but you, Mister Big and Tall Dialga, you are an evil that should never have been conceived."

Dialga roared in a fury, his eyes glinting. But Stacy's attention was elsewhere, as she tugged at Celebi. "So you time travel?"

"Um, not very well with him this close by," she said.

"We don't need to go far," she whispered on. "Just to the other side," she pointed.

Her eyes seemed to twinkle. "Oh, I see. Yeah, I can do that in a jiffy." She raised her hand up, then caused the whole group to appear on the other side of Drakken and the Sableyes. Behind them, there was a smoking spot where Kip had been standing.

"Oo, ya missed," Kip couldn't help taunting.

"Quick, get going!" Celebi called. "Finish the job!"

"Right," Trey the Grovyle said.

Sally passed Trey the Treecko off to Mewtwo, then ran after Trey the Grovyle, Stacy, and Kip into the Passage of Time once again.

* * *

Celebi then banished the Passage of Time. "There," she said.

Primal Dialga roared, so Mewtwo grabbed her. After doing a quick teleport jump, they combined their efforts to get out from Dialga's lands for good. They ended up at the beach below Sharpedo Bluff.

Mewtwo looked down at Trey. The young Pokemon was shuddering, but not from the events around him. "His fever's growing rapidly," he said. "It could be lethal."

"He will survive," Celebi replied with confidence. "Because he has survived already. Put him down. A past version of myself will be along shortly and we must be gone before she appears."

"Stuff like this is why I won't use time travel willingly," Mewtwo grumbled, but he put Trey down on the sand. "So now what?"

"I think we're out of the time loop. So…"

"So now we're out of the loop entirely."

"Right. And we could shortly disappear, never to remember these times again."

The air around them shifted as Celebi returned them to their proper position of time. Trey vanished, staying to continue his role in the time loop. Mewtwo looked out at the dark ocean meeting the dark sky. "As much as I hate this era… there are things that I really don't want to forget."

"Really don't want to forget," she echoed.


	23. Finding the Hidden Land

Team Marmalade, now with one evolved member, arrived back at the beach below Sharpedo Bluff. The sun was setting, but a cold wind kept the Krabbies from coming out. "So what's the plan now?" Kip asked.

Trey brushed some sand off his skin. "I was retrieving five specific Time Gears to stabilize Temporal Tower, and thus Dialga."

"Who is Dialga?" Stacy asked. "You started to explain before, back in the jail cell."

"It's from the creation story," Trey told her. "Everything began when Arceus awakened. She called forth three beings. When Dialga came, all time began. When Palkia came, all space appeared. And with Giratina, balance came between the two. Dialga is the Being of Time, and his instability is why time is unstable in this era."

"All right, then where's Temporal Tower?" Kip asked. "I've never heard of the place."

"It's in the Hidden Land, across the Sea of Time." Trey shook his head. "But then Celebi didn't tell me exactly where that was or how to get there. She said that there is a way there, but past that, I don't know."

"Maybe we should ask around town," Stacy suggested. "And Charlie might know something."

"That could be a problem," Trey said. "I'm still considered a terrible outlaw in town."

"But you're Trey," she said.

"Yeah, but he doesn't look like what people remember Trey as," Kip stated.

"Look, I'll go back and get the gears," Trey suggested. "I just hope I'll be able to get the triplets to listen… in the meantime, you guys go back into town and try to find the Hidden Land, or even just more information on it. We've got approximately a month before the Tower collapses. But then, time is unstable and that month might be shorter than we think."

"All right," Stacy said. "We'll be sure to tell everyone the truth about you, though. We'll fix things up to be right."

Trey smiled. "Good, thank you." Then he took off.

* * *

Stacy, Sally, and Kip came up to the Guild building. "Well, here goes nothing," Stacy said, and stepped onto the security grate.

"Pokemon detected!" Junior called out from below.

"Who is it?" Larry called back.

"It's…. um… uh…"

"Who is it?"

After a second, Junior popped up by them. "Oh my gosh, it is you guys! Hey, it's Team Marmalade!"

"WHAT?"

The Diglett ducked back into the ground and his tunnel. "It was Stacy!" he called back.

"IT'S TEAM MARMALADE!" Larry shouted, in excitement. Probably loud enough to alert the whole building.

"Yes, now let us in already, loudmouth!" Kip shouted down the security grate.

The gate lifted, allowing them inside. As it was so late, there was no one on the second floor. But when they got to the third floor, it seemed everyone was there. Including Stacy's brothers. "Stacy!" Azeri cried out as he bounced over and hugged her. "You're back! I missed you." He cried a bit.

Stacy hugged him back. "Aw, I missed you guys too."

"Oh my gosh, that was so scary," Flora said. "I freaked out when Drakken took you away."

"I think everybody did," Charlie said.

"But where's Trey?" Bobby asked.

"It's a long story…" Stacy said.

"We'll tell it to you after dinner," Kip said. "It seems like seventeen lifetimes since we've had a decent meal."

"Well good timing then," Chiaka said. "Dinner's ready and we should have enough for everybody!"

There was enough food to go around and it seemed like everyone wanted to talk to them. About a week had passed, they found out, since Drakken had kidnapped them. "Everybody thought Drakken was a hero," Senior Dugtrio said. "But a true hero wouldn't take someone away by force like that."

"And then something else bad happened," Flora added. "Azelf, Uxie, and Mespirit went to put the Gears back, but then they didn't work!"

"They didn't work?" Stacy asked.

"That's true," Charlie said. "Putting them back in place did nothing. Those areas are still frozen in time. And, their freeze is spreading to surrounding places. It's slow, but many explorers have noticed it. And no one can figure out what to do about it."

"We know of something," Stacy said. "Trey's already working on it. Let me tell you what happened to us in the future." Then she told them about how Drakken had dragged Sally away, and Trey had gotten sick. Then she described the execution where the Grovyle had saved them and then turned out to be Trey after having lived in the future paralyzed world for twelve years. She finished by explaining about Celebi and Mewtwo's plan with Sally and Trey to return the Time Gears back to Temporal Tower to stop it from falling apart.

"That story sounds far-fetched," Charlie said.

"But it makes sense of what's happened," Larry pointed out. "And can you believe it? We helped to get Trey arrested!"

"Well if we'd known it was Trey, we might have asked more questions about it," Flora said.

"So now we have to find the Hidden Land, huh?" Bartleby asked.

"That's right," Stacy said. "And we don't have a lot of time to do it. Do you know anything about it?"

"Um…." Bartleby thought. "No. Charlie?"

"I've heard about Temporal Tower," Charlie said. "It's over the Sea of Time. But where those places are, I don't have a clue."

"Oh," Stacy said, disappointed. Trey was their best researcher, so if no one knew…

"You can ask Mayor Torkoal, though," Bartleby suggested. "He's the oldest Pokemon of Treasure Town. He's at the Hot Springs a lot."

"We'll go there tomorrow," Stacy said.

"So how did Sally get away from that Primal Dialga?" Matti asked.

"I don't know," Stacy said.

Sally smiled, then showed Stacy what happened so she could tell it.

* * *

Drakken pushed Sally through a teleport pad which led, not to the entrance, but to the very top of the tower. The floor was uneven; the rocks that made up the floor seemed to be falling away, but they were stuck where they were. Columns were either already gone or leaning over at impossible angles. In the midst of this ruin, Primal Dialga watched them enter.

The Dusknoir let her go and started to speak, but Primal Dialga roared. "YOU, A TRAITOR TOO?"

"No, Master Dialga," Drakken said; a showing of fear appeared on his face, as his skin paled. "I-I have brought you the human with the Dimensional Scream, as you asked."

"WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS WHO SEEK TO CHANGE HISTORY?"

"They're being held below, master."

"THEN GET RID OF THEM ALREADY! LEAVE THE HUMAN WITH ME."

"As you ask, master." He bowed, apparently relieved to be let go. Then he went to the teleport pad and left.

Sally stood there, still in the her armor's offline mode. The legendary Being of Time lowered his head. With his glowing red eyes, he looked her over as if she were a dangerous weapon, set to strike at any time. She felt afraid of him, but curious that this being several times larger seemed to be just as afraid.

And looking into those eyes, she remembered fires, glowing red in a thick fog of smoke. There were other humans, but they were being killed by each other and small shadowy Pokemon, Sableyes whose giggling could pass through telepathy and torment a little deaf girl. And when there seemed to be no one left in her world, her blue-eyed guardian appeared, along with another blue-eyed Pokemon who was… Mew.

A snort from Dialga brought Sally's mind back to the top of the tower. "YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE MUCH MORE THAN ANY OTHER STINKING HUMAN. BUT THERE MUST BE SOMETHING… WHERE IS GIRATINA?"

Sally remembered being told that her ability was connected somehow to Giratina. However, she only knew the name of that legendary Pokemon. She had never met him.

His eyes narrowed. "TELL ME! WHERE ARE YOUR HELPERS? GIRATINA, CELEBI, PALKIA, MEWTWO… WHERE ARE THEY?"

Mewtwo. That was her guardian's name, Sally recalled. He was the one who made her armor. But as for where he was… where any of them were, she didn't know. She shrugged.

"SPEAK! ALL ARE TO OBEY ME, BEING SILENT WHEN I ORDER IT AND SPEAKING WHEN I ORDER IT. WHERE ARE THE REBELS?"

She patted her throat, then signed, "I can't speak."

"DON'T PLAY NONSENSE WITH ME! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE, REBEL!"

Sally reached into her Bag and pulled out a seed to throw at him. Luckily, it turned out to be a Sleep Seed, forcing him asleep. She changed her armor to be active, then went for the teleport pad. It brought her into the midst of a Mystery Dungeon maze. Her teammates were around somewhere; she had to find them.

A few levels down, she heard Dialga roar loud enough to shake her bones.

* * *

The next day, Stacy, Kip, and Sally went to the Hot Springs. They found Torkoal where they had found him last time, at the highest pool of the springs.

"The Hidden Land and Temporal Tower…" Torkoal thought uncomfortably long. "I've heard of it. It was an old story when I was a lad. They say that an adventurer found a human device on a beach, called a ship. The ship was supposed to be able to cross any sea, but it had holes in it. So the adventurer fixed the holes, then set out to explore the seas where Water Pokemon held secrets. He came to a strange place, the Hidden Land. And towering above it was a fantastic tower that he wanted to climb.

"However, no matter where he searched, he found no entrance to the tower. He found a flying Pokemon and talked him into flying him up into the tower. A mighty wind kept them from finding a higher entrance. Finally, they discovered that there was a place where you could enter the tower. You needed proof, though, proof of the approval of the master of the tower."

"Proof?" Stacy asked. "What kind of proof?"

"The adventurer was able to find someone with that proof." He paused again to think. "I don't quite remember, though."

"When the master of that tower goes all fruity," Kip stated, "he's gonna fly off the handle and destroy everything if we don't find this place and proof."

"Fly? Oh, that's right! There is said to be a place, now a dungeon, where you can see this proof. I went there as a young fellow to see. It was an odd pattern, like a wheel with four wings."

"A wheel with four wings?" Kip asked. "Haven't I seen…?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Stacy said, pulling out her small Relic Fragment. "I've been holding onto it as a lucky charm."

Torkoal smiled. "Yes, yes, that's it! That's probably the proof you need to enter the tower from the Hidden Land."

"Great!" Stacy felt happy; this made their quest seem much easier.

"But how did you get approval of the Being of Time?" Torkoal asked.

"Well, I don't know. I just found it one day, before I joined the guild. I don't remember much about what I was doing then… I do remember that my head hurt." She rubbed the side of her head.

"So what about this ship thing that can take us to the Hidden Lands?" Kip asked. "Is there any chance it's still around?"

"I've heard that it is," Torkoal said. "The place where that pattern can be seen is said to hold it in a secret chamber. But, I don't quite remember where it is. The increase of Mystery Dungeons has muddled my sense of direction these days."

"Maybe we ought to show it to people around the Guild," Kip suggested. "Some explorer must have seen something like that."

"You're right. Thanks for everything, Mayor Torkoal."

He nodded. "You're welcome, young ones. Good luck."

* * *

Trey made his way back through Steam Cave. The first time they had gone through, he recalled, none of them had ever wanted to climb it again. But this was his fourth time through. It was still nasty, but only in its weather conditions. Anything else wasn't too bad.

At the landing below the lake itself, he met with Uxie. "It's you again," the legend said, in a neutral tone.

"Yes, me again," he said. "But it's important."

"Normally, I'd refuse to listen to someone who meant to take the Gear. However, there have been far too many contridictions lately to ignore. Explain yourself. And don't lie or hide anything from me. I will know the moment you turn false."

Trey nodded. "I know. This will take time, but I'll tell you freely."

* * *

For the rest of that day, Team Marmalade went around the guild and quizzed the explorers around. Most of them didn't seem to recognize it. But when they showed it to Bartleby, he brightened. "Oh yes! I know where that is."

"Where?" Charlie asked.

"Brine Cave."

The Chatot shuddered. "B-Brine Cave? That place? Are you sure you want to send apprentices in there?"

The Wigglytuff put his paw to his cheek. "True, it is a tough place, and tough outlaws tend to gather there. It's a restricted access dungeon too." He clapped his paws together. "Then, we'll go with you!"

"We?" Charlie asked, a bit pale.

"Well I could just go with them, but why not you? It'll be more fun with more people!"

"Um, right." A look of determination came to his face. "It is for the sake of everyone, after all. Okay, we'll escort you into Brine Cave."

* * *

For most of the story, Uxie simply listened. Every now and then, he asked something. Trey remained patient, although he found it hard to remain stoic for some parts. He had thankfully been allowed to skip exact information on the mass battle against Primal Dialga. In exchange, he did inform him that it had been Mewtwo who trained him to take down legends, in particular Psychics, with the help of that Opal Band.

At the end of it, Uxie stated, "He doesn't lie in this."

Unexpectedly, he found himself being hugged by Mespirit. "Aw, that's some awful things. It sounds horrible."

Azelf appeared nearby as well. Apparently they had all been listening. Trey patted Mespirit. "It was. I did mean my apologies to you; I wanted to avoid hurting you, but things didn't work out."

"We can understand that. So, those five Time Gears actually belong on Temporal Tower?"

He nodded. "Right, according to Celebi."

"She would know," Azelf said.

"We were given them many years ago," Uxie said. "They weren't original to these areas, as you noticed. But we were instructed to guard them by someone we trust. She said to keep them safe from anyone who wanted to take them. We didn't realize they had been taken from the tower itself."

"So?" Mespirit asked.

"Right," Azelf said.

Uxie nodded. "We'll help you get the Time Gears back. There isn't much time and you have some problems with outdoors dungeons."

"Yes, that is a problem. Thank you."

"Take this one, then head for Crystal Crossing. We'll retrieve the other three."

* * *

Bartleby and Charlie joined Stacy, Kip, and Sally on the trip through Brine Cave. It was a damp cave with a shallow water floor, something that Stacy was fine with; Kip kept grumbling about wet sand getting into his paws and fur. The Pokemon in there were strong, but Bartleby was stronger. Charlie was pretty good too, but not as good as the Guildmaster.

"What's got you all nervous, Charlie?" Stacy asked.

"Last time we came in here, we got attacked by some outlaws," the Chatot said. "Very strong and very fast outlaws."

"They were hiding on the ceiling," Bartleby said.

"Like Trey does sometimes?"

"Right. Charlie was brave, but the leader had him out in one clean blow."

The group went on until they ran into a group of Kabutops and Omastars. Kip got a good nick on his left ear, Bartleby took a hard punch to his side, and Charlie had been nearly knocked out with a deep gash. "I knew I'd get hurt again," Charlie grumbled.

"I'll take him back," Bartleby said. "The symbol is just ahead at the next level. You guys go on."

After they made sure that Kip wasn't bleeding, Stacy said, "All right. Thank you both for bringing us here."

At the next level, they found a hidden cove of a tiny beach, a formidable cliff face, and the vast ocean. On the cliff face, they found a large image that matched Stacy's lucky charm, of a four-winged wheel. "Try going over there," Kip said.

"Okay." She went up to the wall, taking her charm out. The pattern on the wall lit up, along with the charm. For a moment, energy gathered at the spot, causing Stacy to back up a bit. Then a beam of light shot out. A strange warm glow surrounded the witnesses as the light pointed west, towards the setting sun. In the distance, they saw a faint image of something towering over the ocean.

"So that's where it is," a voice from above said. Trey dropped down onto the beach.

"Hey, you're back already?" Stacy asked.

He nodded. "I met with the triplets. They've forgiven me, and helped me to gather the Gears. So where's…"

He was about to ask where the ship was, but then there was a groaning crumbling sound. Near them, part of the rock face moved out, then slid aside. After waiting a minute for it to stop, they looked into the hidden cave. There inside was a strange device, a wooden ship twenty feet long and eight feet wide, with a triangular sail that stretched up ten feet.

"That's a ship?" Stacy asked.

Sally nodded, then stepped into the three feet deep water. She untied a few ropes acting to secure the ship, then pulled it out. It had pale blue paint with white trim. The sail was white with the winged wheel pattern on it.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Kip said, hopping onto the deck. "So how's this thing work?"

"I'm not too sure myself," Trey said, looking over it.

Sally made some signs. "I know how to sail it. Mewtwo and I had to sail across an ocean to get here; it was a long and tiresome journey."

"Is it safe for use?" Stacy asked. "I'd be all right, but the rest of you…"

Sally signed that she had a number of things to look at first, so they encouraged it over to the beach under Sharpedo Bluff. The wind caught the sail a few times, which helped some. But it also made the boat try to go off west.

Later on, she instructed Trey on the shape it was in. "She says it needs a few repairs and such to make it fully seaworthy again," he told the others. "Like the sail; it's weak in a few spots and would be better replaced. We will probably need help to get it all done quickly."

"Everyone knows what's going on and how important it is," Kip said. "Let's go recruit people to help us fix this ship up tomorrow."

The next day, a good portion of the townsfolk showed up at the beach to help them out. Bethany, the Buneary who ran the craft store, helped Sally and a few others make a new sail after studying the old one. Kazza the librarian Alakazam had managed to find a book of a sailing ship much like the one they had, and used it to help the Kecleon Shopkeepers and Electrabuzz rework all the ropes. Kip, Trey, and still others worked on fixing some of the woodwork, with Stacy, Matti, Azeri, and some of the other small Pokemon patched up holes with a substance that Kazza had identified as waterproof and good for that purpose. At the end of the day, Sally and Kazza looked over the ship and agreed that it was safe for the trip.

Trey had been thinking over something all day. But he waited until he had the opportunity to act on it. As the sun began to set, he noticed Sally on the beach, sitting by herself. She was watching the ship move on the waves and was probably thinking about the trip, or reminding herself of how to sail it Trey went over to her. "Hey, can we talk for a bit?"

She smiled and signed, "Sure. You're the only one I can talk to without a translator, you know."

"Right. How much do you remember of the era of darkness? Not when we were just there now, but back before you came to this time?"

She stopped smiling and seemed uncomfortable. "Some," she signed. "I remember good things, like Mewtwo. And meeting you; you asked me about marmalade. It seemed like a silly question then, but I understand it now. But there were also bad things. There was the time my village got attacked and burned down. And there was the time when Mew died."

"You and Mewtwo weren't there," Trey said. "I was. I saw it."

She closed her eyes. "I saw it too." She tapped her head, indicating it had been a Dimensional Scream. "And Mewtwo felt it. He acts tough a lot, but he was deeply upset that day."

"Do you remember what Celebi told us just before we went to the past?"

After thinking it over, Sally opened her eyes and shook her head. "Not that."

"I was afraid of that." He clasped her hand. "Sally, the truth is… even if we succeed, the two of us will never return to Treasure Town."

She looked confused. "Why would that be?"

"We're going to fix the problem that caused the era of darkness so that it never comes about. It's the right thing to do, and yet it has grave consequences for us both. You were born in that era, and I spent so much time there, and it changed me a lot. Once we erase the era of darkness, we will be erased along with it."

Her eyes widened. "So it will kill us?"

"Yes, it will. We both knew it and we both agreed to it. And Mewtwo and Celebi, I don't think they'll be completely erased, but they will both forget entirely about us and the era of darkness. That hurt them too, but the darkness had hurt us all so deeply. We will save the world if we get the Time Gears back in their proper places, but, we're going to be the ones to pay the price for changing history."

They were quiet for a moment. Now that he had said it, Trey felt that doom as horribly near. They had to do it. But he couldn't deny a feeling of dread.

"It does frighten me, deep down, knowing that the two of us will die," Trey said in a quiet tone. He was trying to reassure her, or maybe himself. "But the other path will end in darkness, the slow oncoming of madness and death in everyone. It's for the good of the world."

Sally patted him gently, then brought her hands together. She hesitated a moment longer, then signed, "What about Stacy and Kip?"

"They should live. They weren't in the future for long. But this will be hardest on them. Still… I'm reluctant to tell them about this. If they knew the price, they might not want to do it. But it must be done. There's no time to waste."

After a bit of thought, Sally signed, "Let's not. We need hope for this mission to work right. If we told them, they would worry and be slower."

"Okay." Trey let go of her arm. "Come on. If we want to say goodbye to anyone else, we have to do it tonight, and without them knowing as well."

She nodded, and then got up to go visit with people with him.

The townsfolk all turned out the next day too, to wish them luck. Stacy, Trey, Kip, and Sally then sailed off towards the western horizon.


	24. Saving Time

In the afternoon, their journey was joined by another. A Lapras came up alongside the sailboat and swam by them, easily keeping pace. "Well here's an unusual sight. We don't see ships this far from the human coast."

"Hi there," Stacy said. She was helping Sally to work the rudder. "We're going to the Hidden Land."

"Is that so? Well you're headed in the right direction. But I hope your ship can handle crossing the Sea of Time."

"How is that area of water?" Trey asked, from a sheltered spot where he was keeping out of the bright sun.

"It's different," the Lapras said. "You need to be going quickly when you enter those waters, and you cannot stop once you do. The area is enchanted. If you get lost and stop, you will get dropped off at a beach. Sometimes it's the one you left from. Othertimes, you wind up half a world away. And you don't always end up at the same time as you were when you entered."

"Dialga's protecting his home," Stacy noted.

She nodded. "Right. And the Sea of Time is not in any one place either. There are many patches of ocean where it can be entered. I have met a fellow who entered such a patch in the arctic regions, then wound up in the tropics to discover that he had been lost in time for ten years. Just remember to keep going and not stop. You should be safe then.

"Okay. Thanks for the help."

"You're welcome. If you're ever at sea again, perhaps we can exchange stories. But you seem busy today. Good bye." The Lapras dove into the water, to emerge several yards away.

"Goodbye!" Stacy called out. "How are you doing, Kip?"

"Awful," he grumbled from where he was crouched down near the center of the boat.

"Seasick," Sally signed to Trey.

"And here I thought I just hated water dungeons," the Skitty moaned.

The wind began to pick up. Sally and Stacy tightened their grip on the rudder control. Ahead of them, a haze appeared. After a moment, it solidified and formed into a large island that hadn't been there before. A tower stood in the middle of the jungle there. Between them and the island, the water shimmered white.

"I think we're going to hit the Sea of Time shortly," Trey said. "Are we still good to go?"

Sally nodded, then waved her hand with the wind. So long as that kept up, they should make the crossing safely.

When the ship touched the shimmering waters, the very air seemed to be charged with energy. The wild magic was strong here, but it seemed different. Almost directed. It did not seek to stop them, but seemed to be waiting, watching for what they would do. And it became even harder to tell how much time was passing.

And then the energy was gone. Sally slowed the ship so that they didn't hit the beach at high speed. After Trey loosened the sail to further slow them down, they were able to move onto the beach.

Kip jumped right off. "Thank goodness! Solid land again at last!"

Stacy laughed as she dropped out of the ship. "One would think that you were a Ground Pokemon, not a Normal."

"I'm picky when it comes to water," Kip stated, twitching his tail.

"Did you feel something odd in that too Kip?" Trey asked. "The wild magic there didn't stir the darkness in me."

"You're right, but I thought it was just because I felt sick," the Skitty said. "I didn't hear the darkness at all there."

"I felt a little weird too," Stacy said. "It was like someone was encouraging me for this mission, telling me without words that I was doing the right thing."

"It might have been wild magic tuned to purity," Trey said.

"What are you talking about now?" Kip asked.

"Back in the era of darkness, I knew a Sneasel who resisted turning Primal for a long time. He said that while every Pokemon had darkness, he believed that every Pokemon also had purity, that which drives us to do good and selfless things. The purity can help you resist the darkness; he said that he relied on the purity of the Dark type to resist the darkness."

"Huh. That's a weird way of thinking. But if it helped, it helped."

"Well let's go," Stacy said. "I talked to Mayor Torkoal again and he said that we may have to find a stone temple in this jungle. That's where we'll find the way into Temporal Tower."

Agreeing to that, the group headed into the Mystery Dungeon of the Hidden Lands jungle. The thick canopy blocked out a lot of sunlight, making it easier on Trey to keep going. They made camp to rest when night fell. But as they settled in, there was a slight earthquake.

"Are we going to be on time?" Stacy wondered.

"Look at the size of that tower," Kip pointed out. "There's no point in climbing that thing when we're tired already."

"We have time," Trey said. "The Time Gears are calm."

"How do you figure that?" Kip asked him.

"Maybe it's because I've handled them all, but I can feel them ticking. Even when they're loose like this, they're doing something. I just have a feeling that if we were getting behind, they wouldn't be as steady as they are."

"You've really improved yourself," Stacy said. "You used to say you were the least experienced member of the team, but now you might outdo Kip."

"Might," Kip said, then focused on checking his claws.

"I was forced into that," Trey said, shrugging. "The era of darkness isn't kind. They don't guide you and watch over you like Bartleby does with the apprentices of the guild. If you messed up, Bubbles made sure that you knew it, and suffered the consequences."

The other three snickered or chuckled. "Bubbles, huh?" Kip asked.

"Hey, don't make fun of her, even if she's not around. She was a Castform, a little thing smaller than me, but she could kill Pokemon many times her size. I know; I saw her do so."

"They only kill outlaws here if there's nothing else that can be done," Stacy said.

"They would kill you for much less. But that didn't stop the violence. And it made you paranoid, knowing that you could be killed on a false accusation. I'm glad to be back here, where time flows and most things are handled with reason. I still felt rather out of place back in Treasure Town, though, having to remind myself that people could be trusted."

"Things will get better," Stacy said, patting his arm. "We've got a chance; you saw the Time Gears in the wrong places and crumbled in the future, but we have them whole, and here now. We'll fix things."

He nodded, although Sally was stealthily giving him a sympathetic look. "I know. We will."

* * *

The next day, they continued their search of the jungle for the entrance to the tower. Everyone was in a cheerful and hopeful mood, especially Sally and Trey. But even Stacy felt an undercurrent of some worry, as if something bad was quickly approaching.

Eventually, they came across an old step pyramid made of dark gray stones. There were a great many murals on the sides. "These illustrate the legendary Pokemon," Trey said. He waved his paw along the wall. "Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Mew, Celebi… I bet there's more if we walk all the way around it."

"We're not here on a sightseeing trip," Kip pointed out. "Let's go up the steps and figure out how to get into that place."

The four explorers went up to the top. There, in the center, was a giant stone circle, raised just an inch off the floor. It was engraved with the same winged wheel pattern that had led them here. On the north side of the circle, there was a stone slab with writings. In the very center, there was a small indentation of a circle.

"What kind of weird writing is this?" Stacy asked of the stone slab.

"Unown text," Kip said. "And it hurts your head trying to figure the thing out, even though it's just our language in a different alphabet."

"I can read it," Trey said. He looked over the slab carefully. "Okay, it says to put the Starter Key into the slot on the Rainbow Stoneship. It will take a little bit to power up, but this will take us to the entrance of Temporal Tower."

Sally clapped her hands for their attention, then pointed out the small hole in the stone circle. "Oh, that would fit my lucky charm," Stacy said. "But this ship doesn't look like the other one."

"Well that one's made of wood to cross the sea," Kip said. "And this one's made of stone to cross the air… wait, that don't make sense either."

"It's probably magic," Trey explained.

Before Stacy could put the stone charm in the slot, there was a flash of gray light from the bottom of the east staircase. When they looked, a Sableye rushed in, grabbed Stacy, and took her down that set of stairs. She screamed angrily and tried to throw it off by catching one of the steps and tossing it with her momentum, but wound up slipping herself and tumbling with the Sableye down the rest of the steps. She was able to duck into her shell and avoid the worst damage, although her attacker looked worse for wear at the bottom.

"You dimwitted coward!" Kip yelled as the other three ran after them.

"Perhaps you are the dimwitted ones," a stern voice said. A Dusknoir appeared from the trees, near another dimensional hole, accompanied by six other Sableyes. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have been surprised."

"Drakken?" Trey growled. "You're back?"

"Master Dialga said to make sure that history was not changed, in any manner, and to do whatever it took to stop you four. We will erase you."

Trey felt a tap on his foot. Stacy was coming back out; she gestured him to Drakken. Then, acting quickly, she got up. "We aren't giving up," she stated.

Before the Dusknoir could reply, the Grovyle shot through the crowd and slashed at him with Dark Blade. Stacy then signaled the other two to take on the Sableyes. Growling in pain and fury, Drakken tried to smash a bundle of Ghost energy into Trey's face. He slipped aside and struck with Dark Blade again. This Pokemon was geared more for war than the pixies were, Trey reminded himself as he ducked under another strike. So it would take more to take him down.

However, Stacy, Kip, and Sally managed to make short work of the Sableyes. They then moved in to back up Trey. And then Drakken was defeated, knocked down in front of the dimensional hole through which he'd gotten here. The Sableyes panicked and ran back into the hole, afraid and badly injured.

"Some kind of loyalty you've got," Trey jeered Drakken. "As soon as you're down, your little helpers run away in fear."

The Dusknoir gasped for breath. "Are you sure… this is what you want? You must… you must know the consequences… of what you're doing."

"What're you yapping about?" Kip asked.

Suddenly, his eyes glinted with a mad light and he got back up. "Master said to do whatever…" he growled in an almost demonic tone. The jagged yellow line across his stomach seemed to crack and open up.

What happened next surprised everyone. Sally quickly rammed into Drakken's chest with her shoulder, shoving him back into the dimensional hole. And she didn't stop there. She forced him back into it with all her strength, even though that caught her in the hole when it automatically began closing up, sensing its main traveler back inside.

"Sally!" the three others called, but there was no way even for Trey to get to her fast enough to pull her out of the shrinking hole. Just before it completely vanished, three orbs of light drifted out. They went to the three Pokemon and showed them the words that Sally wanted them to know.

The message she sent was a sad one. "He means that because I was born in the era of darkness, I will be erased from existence once Temporal Tower is restored. But don't let that stop you. There is nothing to be saved, not even my life, that is worth the misery and suffering when the darkness rules over all. I have known this since before I came to this time when the sun still lives. Go on without hesitation; everyone back home is waiting for you, hoping and praying for your success. Don't let them down."

"But…" Stacy said, stunned that she would do that.

"She's right, you know," Trey said. "We both knew. I'm glad she got to live for a while in this time, though, and that she got to know good people like you."

"She's a real hero," Kip said reverently. "I don't know if I'd be able to do something like that. So let's not let her heroism go to waste."

"You're right," Stacy replied, although a touch reluctant. "Let's get going."

They went back to the top of the step pyramid. Stacy put her lucky charm in the small slot. It caused the lines of the pattern, both on the charm and on the stoneship, to glisten and glitter like the stars in the night sky. Against all normal reason, the Rainbow Stoneship lifted off the pyramid, then glided through the air upwards, towards a distant platform that held the sole entrance to Temporal Tower.

When they arrived, they saw six lights on posts, unlit but obviously the same ones that they had seen when dragged to the future. It unnerved them, but they went on inside the stone halls. The dungeon was different this time. There were no jail cells or even doors. Even the staircase passages were unguarded. Not even a single wild Pokemon appeared to slow their progress. It was eerie in silence.

As they climbed, several tremors made the entire structure shudder. They continued on, with Trey guiding them through forks and double passages. After floors and floors of not much of anything, they finally came to a place they had only seen in Sally's passed on images: the top of Temporal Tower, where Dialga resided.

It was empty when they arrived. Most of the columns were still standing, although a couple appeared to have fallen down in the tremors. A strange red swirl of clouds hung right about their heads. At the far end, they could see the area Celebi had described, a relatively small area with five slots for the five Gears. Compared to the Dialga they had seen in the future, it would have fit easily under his foot. That might have been why he had yet to notice the missing parts.

"Trey, get them in there quickly," Stacy said.

"Right," he replied. He went up to the platform and was stopped when Dialga teleported in between them and the small platform.

Dialga roared, but it had a touch of pain to it. His eyes did not glow, but his posture betrayed suffering. And while he was dark blue like Primal Dialga of the future, he did not seem quite as insane.

He was still not right in the head, though. "YOU MUST BE THE ONES WHO'VE SABOTAGED MY TOWER! YOU WILL SUFFER!"

Although her heart pounded, Stacy stood up bravely. "We're not them! We came to fix things. Please, believe us or time will be ruined."

"Fight the darkness that's driving you looney!" Kip added.

Dialga flinched. "TIME… DARKNESS… YOU… YOU MUST BE THE ONES. YOU WILL BE ERASED FROM HISTORY FOR RUINING TIME!" He roared again, sending a wave of strange energy at them.

It felt like they were being torn apart. Stacy feared that she would be, but the wave did not last long. Thinking as quickly as she could, she called out, "Trey, swap Bags with me!"

He launched a pair of leaf blades at Dialga, then darted over to her. "What are you doing?" he asked, handing her his.

She gave him her bag. "You two are stronger than me. Distract him while I go take care of the gears."

"Okay, good luck," he whispered. He then darted over to where Kip was hurling Iron Thorns at Dialga, using Agility to help them keep up with the Master of Time. "We have to keep his attention off Stacy."

The Skitty nodded. "Okay. I got an idea; cover me while I get up there."

"Don't get hurt."

Trey rushed forward, then back, using his leaf blades to get Dialga's attention. It was unnerving to get a murderous look from such a giant and powerful Pokemon, even though he'd been in a fight like this before. However, to his amazement, he saw Kip boldly leap up onto Dialga's body, then use the legend's own armor to skip his way up to the top of his head. "Hey, want to see something stupid?" Kip called out. He then looked down and started singing. "Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep you frikken bastard!"

For a moment, Trey thought that it really was stupid, and suicidal. However, Dialga suddenly quieted, then dropped down and fell asleep. The Skitty hopped off before he got thrown from his perch. "That was stupid," Trey said, smiling.

"I love how that works," Kip replied, walking over with his head held high.

"I've got it!" they heard from Stacy. A bright green glow started from the small platform. For a moment, all three heard the Gears ticking in unison, and felt the tugs at whatever they affected. Another tremor shook the area, though, and Dialga began to glow bright green as well.

The three members of Team Marmalade ran towards each other. "Were we too late?" Trey asked, worried.

"NO." When they looked back, they saw that Dialga had woken up again. He was no longer dark blue, having turned lighter with more white areas. Blinking, the legend lifted his head and looked around, but remained lying down. "THINGS ARE STILL UNSTABLE HERE, BUT THE MISSING PIECES HAVE COME BACK HOME. I WILL BE ABLE TO FIX THINGS FROM THIS POINT."

"Oh good," Stacy said, smiling with relief. "So everything will be okay now."

"IN CONCERN WITH TIME, YES." He lowered his head and tapped Stacy's shell with his nose. "THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU. IT SEEMS MY TRUST IN YOU WAS WELL PLACED."

"We did what we had to…" a small white ball suddenly appeared, bopping Dialga between the eyes and falling down to the stone floor. "What's that?"

"THAT WOULD BE MY SISTER TRYING TO PLAY WITH ME. BAH, LET HER WIN THIS ROUND. I FEEL EXHAUSTED. TAKE THE PATH OVER THERE TO FIND A TELEPORT PAD THAT WILL TAKE YOU BACK TO TREASURE TOWN. I ALLOW YOU TO ENTER THE HIDDEN LANDS WHENEVER YOU LIKE, SIMPLY BY ENTERING THE SEA OF TIME. BUT JUST THE MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM, NO ONE ELSE."

"Okay, thank you Dialga."

He nodded, then curled back up and went to sleep.

Stacy felt tired too, but her excitement overwhelmed that. "We did it!" she said after they got onto the path and away from Dialga. "We saved the world and kept darkness from taking over!"

"Hallelujah," Kip said, strutting alongside her. "And you know if I say that, I mean it. And the Sheriff's cronies didn't think that an outlaw like me could be worth much of anything."

"You're worth more than any treasure, to have as a friend," she said, patting his back. "Hey Trey, come on! Let's get back to everybody."

Trey seemed more tired than the other two, moving slower. It was odd for a quick Pokemon like him to be doing that. "Yeah, about that," he said, stopping. "I won't be going back either."

"What? What do you mean? Everyone knows the truth now."

"Yes, except for one thing. I spent too much time in the era of darkness. So with erasing it, I'm getting erased too."

Her heart seemed to go cold at that. She ran back over to him. "Trey! Not you too."

"That isn't something to joke about," Kip warned, swishing his tail. His anger came from concern, though.

"I'm not," Trey said. "But Sally and I agreed... it seems ages ago… we agreed that it was better that the two of us be lost than the millions who will die and the millions more who will suffer when darkness takes over. There will be people who will forget about us. But not you two. You two will remember the truth of what has happened. You must get back home safely, and make sure that the truth is recorded and heard. Otherwise, something like this could happen again."

She hugged him. "Why didn't you tell us, then? We could have…"

"We could have been too late, if we hesitated." The Grovyle's form seemed to grow thinner, as if it were losing substance. But he put his arms around her. "Don't forget… and don't keep it a secret."

Then Trey too was gone.

"But this isn't fair," Stacy cried.

Kip came up to her and put a paw on her shell. "It's not. Lots of things aren't fair. Still, did we have to lose both of them?" His ears twisted downward sadly.

She put her arms around him and hugged him. It was silent for a while, silence in mourning. Then she shook her head. "We have to get back; that's what he asked of us. And it had been their choice, so…"

"Why do they always have to sacrifice the good guys to get the good ending?" Kip grumbled. The rest of the walk to the teleport pad was silent.


	25. Healing What Was Broken

Time passed, uncertainly at first, but it began to get the hang of things again. Stacy and Kip passed on the story as they knew it. When they spoke of Trey and Sally, some people didn't recognize the names at first. But as they told the story, people began to remember bits and pieces. The librarian Alakazam offered to help them write it into a book, which they accepted gratefully.

Team Marmalade, now down to two members, continued its apprenticeship. In particular, they looked for places they hadn't been. They wondered if they might find Kip's treasure, his light of the darkness. "You know, it might be that purity of soul that Trey talked about," the Skitty said one morning. "The opposite side of wild magic. But then I'm almost certain that it's an actual treasure too."

"Hey, look at this place." Stacy pulled off a paper on the wall. "Whistling Thicket."

Kip's ears twitched. "Whistling Thicket?"

"Does that sound familiar?"

"Yeah, it does. I can't quite place it, though." His head tilted as he thought, then his tail went still. "Maybe it was the place I came from, before I fell to the darkness."

"We should check it out then. Let's see… this Venonat reports that he got attacked and has lost his way. Distress call picked up by Chiaka; she even figured out that he's on the twelfth floor. Shall we go?"

"We shall."

Whistling Thicket was a wetlands, but not marshy. It was made up of many paths along shallow and small ponds. Wet-loving grasses like rice and cattails grew in the ponds, thriving happily. Many trees grew in clumps where there were no ponds. At the end of each level, the passages were formed like vine covered wooden bridges. And giving the dungeon its name, there were tall stone pillars spread throughout the area. Holes in these pillars made the wind whistle when it passed through, at any speed.

"This is a nice place," Stacy said.

"If I remember right," Kip told her, "Those whistling pillars were here long before the place became a Mystery Dungeon. Dunno who put them there, though, or why."

"Trey could have told us, probably," she replied.

"Probably."

On the twelfth floor, they searched carefully until they found the lost Venonat hiding in a patch of reeds. "Oh, you've been sent to find me?" he asked. "Thank goodness. I got hungry and tried to eat one of the mushrooms around here. That was a mistake."

"We'll send you back home to be safe and find some good stuff to eat," Stacy told him in a friendly way. "We'll see you later."

"Yes, thank you." He was teleported away when Stacy sent a signal from her badge back to Guild headquarters. But the two decided to explore deeper in the thicket.

On the seventeenth floor, they ran into a Delcatty. She was looking over the ruins of some buildings made with rushes, like an abandoned community. "Hey stranger," she said. "What name?"

It was a wild one, but had some elements of a civilized Pokemon. "Hey there, I'm Kip," he said.

In a second, her mood changed wildly. She moved her ears back and hissed. "You! Why come back? Bad Pokemon!" She hissed again and ran away.

"Oh," Stacy said, putting a paw to her face. "Maybe that's why you left?"

Kip lowered his ears in embarrassment. "Um… well crud. That was part of it."

"Maybe we'd better move on before she comes back with anyone."

"Good plan." He shivered and they headed for the passage in the next room.

At the next level, Stacy said, "Well she was half wild, so she might not understand that you've changed."

"She wouldn't accept it," Kip replied. "I think I remember now more clearly what happened. See, I was born under some very bad signs."

"Bad signs?"

He nodded. "I hatched with a twin; my brother was dead as I came out. And our egg hatched at night, a stormy night where the rising moon glowed orange, almost red. My mother may have appreciated me, but everyone else in the Thicket believed that I was born of the darkness itself. When she died, I was branded an outcast and everyone ignored me. I wound up turning to the one thing I thought I had, the darkness."

"That's sad."

"You guys really were my first true friends."

After the nineteenth floor, they came upon a small area with a warp panel. There was a pretty yellow box on the floor. "That's very nice," Stacy said, picking it up. "But I don't see how to open it."

"You gotta take it to a guy back in town first. Those gift boxes can turn ugly unless you know what you're doing in opening them. But then they usually have rare treasures inside if they're opened right."

"Do you think maybe your treasure is inside?"

Kip sniffed it. "I don't know. Maybe. Let's go back and see."

They went in, made the report. They met with the Venonat, who thanked them with 1500 Poke and a Max Elixer drink. Then, as evening started to arrive, they went to see if the appraisal shop was open.

It was. They had to wait as another group was checking out a red box. Then they entered the strange little shop. It was lit by blue candles and staffed by a Xatu who wore a crystal on a band around his head. "Welcome to my humble shop. Do you have something that needs appraisal?"

"Yes, this box," Stacy said, handing over the yellow box.

He rubbed a wing over it. "Ah yes, a Pretty Box. It's 150 Poke per appraisal."

"All right." She handed over the money.

"Hmm, then let us see." After putting the money in a box, the Xatu turned the sealed box around in his wings. He slid his feathers into certain slots, then, in a rapid motion, undid the folds of the strange box. He pulled out a round yellow berry. "Now this is a rare breed. You have a Sitrus Berry." He handed it back to Stacy. "It can heal you back up like an Oran Berry. However, they say that it can make powerful drinks. Or, if you consume it while healthy in a Mystery Dungeon, it can make you slightly more energetic for the rest of your life. Decide well in how to use this fruit."

"Okay, thanks." They left, looking it over. "I guess it's a good thing, but probably not what you're looking for."

"Well you keep it, then." He looked around. "It's a bit early to head back to the guild."

"Want to take a walk to the beach?"

"Sure, why not?" He smiled as he walked along. "Just so you know, I have no romantic intentions with you."

She chuckled. "We're not exactly compatible, you know."

"I know," he said, batting her arm playfully. "Just teasing you."

They walked south of town until they arrived at the beach below Sharpedo Bluff. The Krabbies were out this evening, sending their multicolored bubbles everywhere. And the sun was sinking at a regular pace. It wouldn't be suddenly hanging there like it used to.

When Stacy sat down, she said, "It seems like a long while since I've seen the Krabbies out here at night. I used to come out here a lot when I was kid."

"Wasn't the last time we saw this after our first dungeon exploration?" Kip asked. "When those pirates stole your lucky charm and none of us understood Sally."

"Right, it was back then. And Trey told us about how time was corrupting in the world." After a moment of just the tides rolling in, she sighed. "I just don't understand why it had to end like that. They were good people. Maybe a bit misguided at times, but then, so is everybody. They were just trying to make things better, so why did they have to die?" She cried.

Kip blinked a few of his own tears away from his amber eyes, then looked to Stacy. He came to sit next to her and rubbed his head against hers, letting her know that he was there with her. For a moment, it was just the two of them in a shared sorrow.

* * *

West of Sharpedo Bluff, in a place where the sun was just touching the horizon, Dialga watched over the repairs of his tower. There was a flash of golden light as a small group teleported there. He turned his head and saw a smaller quadruped legendary Pokemon. With her were the three triplet pixies. "ARCEUS, WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?"

"Checking up on you," she replied. Her voice seemed like a graceful musician, gentle but powerfully touching. "Communications have been terrible lately. How's the repairs coming?"

"I'M NOT GETTING TREMORS ANYMORE. I'M JUST ABOUT FINISHED, BUT THERE'S STILL A BIT OF INSTABILITY SOMEWHERE. DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON?"

"We're looking into it."

"Someone fooled us with a mirage," Uxie said, with a touch of shame. "We thought Arceus had given us the Time Gears to guard, but they were the ones stolen from here. We're sorry; we didn't notice."

Dialga bowed his head. "I'M ASHAMED THAT I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE THAT THEY WAS GONE. AND SOMEONE THREW UP ALL THOSE LITTLE LOOPHOLES IN TIME TO DISTRACT ME. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED."

"We're here to ask about that," Arceus said. "We're interviewing everyone."

"AH. I UNDERSTAND. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I KNOW. MY MEMORIES OF THAT TIME ARE MUDDLED BY INSANITY, I HOPE YOU KNOW."

"Who's crying?" Mespirit asked, distracted from their intended mission. The distraction seemed to annoy her brothers as much as the crying bugged her.

"I'VE HEARD THAT TOO," Dialga admitted. "THOSE ARE TWO OF THE HEROES WHO SAVED ME FROM RUIN. THEY LOST TWO OF THEIR OWN, WHEN THE TIME TRAVELERS ENDED THEIR OWN EXISTENCE TO END ALL POSSIBILITY OF THE ERA OF DARKNESS COMING."

"They knew what would happen to them," Uxie said. "I've gotten small reminders of them. I can't remember much, but I remember that."

"THEY DID. HOWEVER, THEIR SELFLESSNESS CAUSED THEM MUCH PAIN, BOTH TO THEMSELVES AND THEIR ALLIES. BUT I BELIEVE I HAVE ENOUGH SLACK IN THE LOOPHOLES TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT." He focused his power for a moment, then called out across the fabric of time. He found the souls of the two heroes and pulled them back into reality.

Arceus observed, sniffing the air. Then she added a call of her own, like a trumpet calling out to the heavens.

"What did you do?" Azelf asked.

"He restored the heroes, which is good," Arceus said. "I restored the memories of those who were connected to the era of darkness. It is certainly something that should not be forgotten. Although, it may cause you and many others great pain at first."

"What kind of…?" Uxie started to ask, then suddenly had a memory of a time when he died. "Oh… ugh."

Dialga rolled his eyes. "SHOWOFF."

* * *

Mewtwo was working with Mew on a project. As he recorded statistics from the experiment, his mind found itself drifting off on strange tangents. It was like there was something he should remember, but he couldn't. But he was certain that he didn't have amnesia or the like. Maybe it was just the transfer out of a life of imprisonment and solitude messing with him.

Then, without warning, he heard something like a trumpet call in his mind. That had to be Arceus, doing something. And when she did, Mewtwo found himself with years of new memories, not of the past, but of the future. He stumbled upon a memory of a human girl called Sally and found himself smiling. So it hadn't been fully forgotten.

"Oh my gosh, I died?" Mew asked, freaking out. "What kind of cruel person sets up my death like that?"

"Someone who no longer exists?" Mewtwo suggested.

* * *

On the beach, Stacy and Kip noticed a bright golden light appear near the tides. When it cleared, there were two beings standing there: an albino human and a pale Grovyle.

"Trey! Sally!" Stacy got up and ran over to them, Kip soon behind her. The Squirtle hugged Trey. "Oh my goodness, where did you come from?"

"Huh?" Trey looked up at Sally, who looked just as bewildered. "We're not sure."

"But you're back." She put her head on his chest. "That's what matters."

"Yeah, somehow." Trey put his arms around her.

"Do you think they won't notice us if we quietly stay here?" Kip asked Sally slyly, causing her to laugh and the other two to get embarrassed. But they were soon laughing too.

Things were set straight now. Everyone had come back home.

* * *

Everyone had come back home.

It was a night of a million stars, the night of the new moon. It was a dark roadside, quiet save for distant cries of wild Pokemon. It was still. At the crossroads, a shadow stirred and came to life. He had white hair falling down part of his face, back behind his black wings. Even Darkrai had come back.

His heart was racing. One moment, he was enjoying the coming glory of his beautiful realm of darkness. The next moment, it all came crashing down around him. So much effort had gone into it that he thought it was secure. His memories showed that the era of darkness had been as he desired, a dark, untrusting, more real version of the world he was now in. But had it all been a house of cards, ready to fall at any moment?

Looking up at the starry sky, he felt a small comfort in being under his moon phase. But in several hours time, the hated sun would come out and force him into the shadows once again. He had mechanisms that should still be at work in this era. Did he have the chance to pick up some abandoned plans and set things back to how he wanted them?

As he thought, he became aware of an incoming teleport. Multiple Pokemon were coming in. He could go away and hide. However, sensing who it was, he decided he'd best stay where he was. It was time to face the music. A sense of fear and dread crept into his heart. Although it had been a long time since the last incident, he wasn't the only legendary Pokemon to have broken the rules. And the punishments inflicted for such behaviors? Incredibly stiff and harsh. Getting put to death would be a light sentence for what he had done.

Arceus and the triplet pixies appeared at the crossroads. Darkrai gave a gracious bow, trying to keep any doubts and fears hidden. "Good night, Lady Arceus."

She nodded. "Good night, Darkrai. What are you doing?"

"Admiring the stars," he admitted. "Thinking." He was also thinking that, between Azelf, Uxie, and Mespirit, it would be almost impossible to lie or avoid the truth. Almost. It was time to see if his practice had worked.

"We need to ask you about certain events that have recently been remembered," Uxie said. "The future of darkness remains a puzzle to be solved."

"Does it? You may find it hard to find those willing to speak on it."

"Did you survive long into it?" Arceus asked.

"I did. It was a lonely and cruel time. No stars in the sky. They seem more beautiful tonight, now that I have remembered it." Which was, in a way, true. If he could find a way to have endless night, he would take it in a heartbeat over endless darkness.

"Do you know what caused the collapse of time?"

And now… for the first complete lie. "No."

Not a single one of the four reacted. Arceus went on. "Did you become one of the Primal Pokemon?"

Darkrai had to restrain a feeling of glee. So far, so good. "No." That was true; he couldn't stand the thought of losing his mind by giving in to wild magic.

"Did you work with the rebels gathered by Celebi?"

"No. I would not have been much use to them. It's not easy for me to live around others who try to have peaceful nights." That was a truth he would rather have told as a lie.

There was a smile of sympathy from Mespirit; she at least was fooled. Arceus continued the interview. "Did you witness the major battle when the rebels brought Temporal Tower to Amp Plains?"

"No." It had been such a magnificent display. Darkrai couldn't have orchestrated a greater horror with his nightmare powers, but everything came together in one gory moment of glory and pain.

"Did you have any contact with Celebi, Mew, or Mewtwo in the era of darkness?"

"No. I don't have contact with them normally." In fact, he couldn't think of any of the other legendary Pokemon with which he had normal regular contact with.

"Did you have any contact with the human Sally or the Grovyle Trey?"

He paused, deciding on what to tell. "I do not know this Sally you speak of. However, I met a Grovyle named Trey in that time."

Arceus nodded slightly. "What happened?"

Darkrai put his hand to his chin. "Hmm… oh, perhaps I did come close to Celebi then. I am still relearning those memories. I met Trey in Treasure Town. We spoke for a little while; he did not trust me much, but I traded him some TMs in exchange for food, which I was running direly low on. While I was there, I felt some nightmares from Celebi. But I didn't stick around long enough to see or speak with her. The Grovyle may have been assisting her."

While he was paying attention to them, someone else approached the group on the road. It was another one of the legendaries, but one Darkrai tried hard to avoid. Cresselia floated over to them. "There you are," she said, a touch hostile. "I've been looking for you."

He narrowed his eyes in irritation. "Oh have you, pretty spirit?"

"Let's not fight right now," Azelf said.

"He is cooperating with us," Uxie stated. "He has been honest thus far in our interview."

Hearing this, Darkrai felt an immense sense of relief. He could get away with his abandoned plans. The era of darkness would return. He continued answering their questions, denying having made a mirage of Arceus so cunning that it fooled the mirage masters in the triplets, or having done anything to Dialga or Palkia. Then, as the group turned their attention to Cresselia, he slipped away into the shadows.

He would hold control over the world and remake it to his wishes once again. But first, he should probably do something about the fools who undid all his careful work. He moved to Treasure Town, to discover more about the ones who restored Temporal Tower.


	26. The Guild Graduation Challenge

"GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY!"

"Go away. Please."

"SHADDUP CHARLIE!"

At that daily meeting, Bartleby had an announcement to make. "Okay everyone, today we are holding the graduation test!"

"What?" a bunch of the apprentices asked. Bobby added, "Gosh, I hadn't heard anything about a test coming up."

"Of course you haven't heard about it," Charlie said. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be a test. Guildmaster?"

Bartleby flicked his ears. "Right. Now, some of you have gone through the graduation test, and some of you have not. So here's how it goes. You are all to explore the Mystifying Forest today."

"Mystifying Forest isn't so bad," Stacy said. "I went in there before I joined the Guild."

"Yes, but you will find certain obstacles to your progress today," Charlie noted. "You are to go deep into the forest, either alone or in your regular teams. At a certain point, you will find a treasure chest with the Guild seal on it. Bring the item inside to prove that you found it and you have passed the test." He flapped his wings. "Those chests will only be there today, so get to it!"

"Have fun!" Bartleby added with a cheer.

Team Marmalade went off to get supplies, then gathered at the crossroads outside of town. "We might have it easier, since there's four of us," Stacy said.

"That, and we tricked freaking Dialga, the creator of all time," Kip pointed out. "We've also got a legendary killer on our side."

"Hey!" Trey said in indignation.

"He's not a killer," Stacy said. "Let's go."

Mystifying Forest was a dungeon of strong wild magic. It showed in the glowing mushrooms, the vibrant greenery, and the sparkling waters. But this magic didn't seem to trigger the darkness it usually did. Perhaps it was a place of strong purity, they each thought. Kip even noted, "This place is really calming to stroll through. Doesn't really seem like much of a test."

"Still a bit trying for me," Trey said. He was keeping to the shadows, trying to avoid the sunlight as much as he could.

"Hey, Stacy!" a voice called from above.

"Huh?" She looked around. "Matti? What are you doing here?"

"Helping out. I can't tell you where I am, though."

"Oh, we'll find you. Hang on."

"He sounded like he was that way," Trey suggested, pointing down a hall.

However, that turned out to be a dead end. They backtracked and tried another hallway. This led to a room that led away from where Matti was. Going back yet again to a third hallway led to a room with a hall that continued away. "Oh, it's one of those layouts," Stacy said.

"Well we know about where he is," Kip said. "Let's keep going until we find the right branch."

As the trees were too tall for Sally to see over, they had to stick with that plan. Following that west bound hall, they came to a split between a north and a south path. They went down the south path and found a hallway that went back east. Following that, they finally arrived in the room where Matti was.

The Marill was in a tree. "Hi guys," he said, waving.

"What're you doing up a tree?" Kip asked as Trey went up it.

"The Guildmaster told me to stay up here. The wild Pokemon haven't come after me, other than a Pidgey who gave me an evil eye." He came down with Trey, though. "Thanks."

"We can send you back," Stacy said, looking for her badge.

"I don't know about that," Matti said. "All the teleporters came into the Forest as well."

"Hmm, so that's probably part of the test. Okay, stick with us then."

He smiled. "Sure thing, sis. We've done this before."

They had to pause several times as Trey would have to go underground for his skin to cool off. "I really need to find a better solution to this," he said after one such time. "But I can't figure out what."

"Maybe you can ask Jirachi," Matti said.

"People have spent their enire lives searching for the Wish Granter," Trey pointed out.

Matti put his hand to his mouth. "I heard Bobby found Jirachi once. Nobody knows what he wished for, though."

"Maybe if you find the person who originally cursed you with that," Kip suggested. "People remember what happened now."

"It wasn't meant to be a curse. Shaelin gave me lighter skin so that I didn't get anemic in the era of darkness."

"Who's Shaelin?" Stacy asked.

"She's one of the Shaymin, the legendary heralds of spring. They live on Sky Peak."

"Well then we can go there later on."

"For that, we need to graduate first," Trey pointed out.

"Yeah, Sky Peak is one of the star-ranked areas," Matti said. "Apprentice teams aren't allowed in star-ranked areas."

They continued on until they found a level with a grassy meadow. It looked different than the rest of Mystifying Forest. There was also a rather large hole in the ground. "I wonder what's down there," Stacy asked.

"Ye-haw!" the voice from the grasses called. A pink blur rushed past them, grabbing Trey and dropping down the hole with him. They heard a startled yelp from Trey as he fell into the dark pit.

"Trey!" Stacy looked down. But there was no answer. She looked over, realizing that her brother was still with them. "Sally, can you watch after Matti, just in case? Me and Kip will go after Trey."

Sally nodded, so the two of them jumped down into the pit. The angle of sunlight put a large circle of light on the northeast side of the floor, lighting up the area. On the south wall, there was a staircase of dirt leading out of the hole. On the west wall, there was a high ledge with an opening. Standing on the ledge were three Poochenyas. "Halt!" one yipped.

Kip groaned. "Great, it's you mangy hounds again."

"Who?" Stacy asked.

"Team Poochy, the gits who last captured me when I was an outlaw."

"So it is the stupid feline!" another Poochenya said.

"Hold it," the one female of the group said. "He's an apprentice now. And we're testing the apprentices. So, now you've got to fight us!"

"Oh good; I'll get him back for hypnotizing me."

"For the last time, a Skitty wouldn't know hypnosis!"

"So yeah," Kip stated, sitting down calmly. "I got caught by them. Most embarrassing mistake of my life."

"You are gonna pay for that!" The three Poochenyas jumped down and went into attack formation.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Trey slipped away from his captor and turned to come face to face with a Wigglytuff. "You?" he asked, puzzled.

"Right," Bartleby replied. "Teams larger than two members must pass an extra battle test. However, you've had about twelve years of training, which is much more than apprentices usually have. So…" he got a mischivious grin, "you get to fight me instead."

Trey returned the grin. "Sure."

Stacy fired Bubblebeam at the leader of the Poochenya pack; she got slowed down by a bit. Kip, knowing that they'd come for him just out of spite, started running around the room, occasionally getting off a Tackle attack. As Stacy worked on building her defense and hitting the Poochenyas one by one, she stayed in more or less the same spot. They managed to defeat the older team.

Once they did, though, they revived. "Okay, so you guys pass the test," the lead Poochenya said. "I suppose the feline has improved."

"Can't say much for you three," Kip said in quiet sarcasm.

"But what about Trey?" Stacy asked.

"He passes too," Bartleby called from the upper ledge. The Guildmaster had a cut across his side. "You did good; now finish the job."

Trey jumped down, looking a little worse for wear. "Mon, he's tough," he told the other two. "I wouldn't advise taking him on in a standard battle."

They climbed out of the pit and found Sally and Matti playing with grass whistles. "She showed me this neat trick for making a piece of grass hum," the Marill told his sister. "But I'm having trouble doing it."

Sally made a high-pitched tweet with her piece of grass.

"Well let's keep going," Stacy said. "I don't think there's much more to this dungeon."

And there wasn't. Through the next passage of a wooden arch, they found a place dense with wild but pure magic. There was a shallow pool of water with a bubbling spring in the middle of it. A hole at the edge seemed to drop the water off into hidden caverns below. And strangest of all, there was a white glow coming from the spring itself.

This is Luminous Springs," Trey told them. "This is where most Pokemon in the area came to evolve before time started messing up."

"But the glow is back," Stacy pointed out. "Maybe it's working again."

"Maybe. Why don't you try?"

"Me? Well…"

"I don't think I'm strong enough," Matti said.

"You need a Water Stone to evolve anyhow," Kip pointed out. "And I need a Moon Stone. Although, if I did evolve, I'd have to give up my special scarf." He adjusted his Pecha Scarf, making Sally chuckle. "I just wouldn't look as cool without it."

"Well, all right then," Stacy said. She walked into the glow of the spring. "Um…"

A feminine, if sleepy, voice came from within the spring. "Oh, Pokemon have returned to this place. Welcome to Luminous Springs. With time more stable, evolution is possible once again. Do you wish to evolve?"

"Yes," Stacy said, nervous and eager all at once.

"You are strong enough, and you require no items. Now close your eyes and relax."

When she had done so, the glow of the spring brightened, swallowing Stacy up. The magic of the area tuned itself to that of the Water type and converged on the spot where she was standing. After a moment, it dissipated, losing the Water type and dimming the glow. Stacy had grown two feet taller, with a bushier tail and wing-like growths coming off the sides of her head. She was now a Wortortle.

"Wait a week and you will be able to enter your final evolution stage by returning here," the voice of the spring stated.

"You look awesome," Matti said as his sister came out of the spring area.

"Thanks," she said. Then she looked at Trey; she was now a few inches taller than him. "Why don't you try?"

"Hmm, I guess so." He went over onto the spring.

It replied just as kindly and warm as it had for Stacy. "Do you wish to evolve?"

"Yes," he said, sounding calmer than Stacy had.

"You are strong enough, and you require no items. Now close your eyes and relax."

The glow brightened and the magic shifted to Grass type. For a second. It wavered, then fell apart. "She said relax, bum," Kip called.

"No, it's not that," the voice said. "This is an unusual problem. There is a corruption of space around you."

"A corruption of space?" Trey asked, now sounding worried.

"Yes, and it is preventing you from evolving."

"That's weird." He moved from the spring. "So, I guess I'm not evolving."

The voice spoke up again. "There is another with the same corruption of space near you. The human."

"Sally?" Stacy asked, while Sally looked puzzled.

"Humans grow from child to adult; they do not evolve through magic. She has already become an adult, so there is nothing I can do for her. But she has the same problem."

"How do you not evolve from magic?" Trey asked.

Sally shrugged, then signed that she couldn't really explain it.

"We might want to ask around about that corruption," Stacy said. "But first, we've got to find that Guild chest to finish the test."

After searching around the various small springs and trees of Luminous Springs, Kip found it. When they opened it, they found a Perfect Apple inside. "Well of course the Guildmaster would put this up as proof of passing," Kip noted.

* * *

That evening, the apprentices and guild workers all gathered in the main room. "Those who have passed this year's graduation test are," Charlie said, pausing for effect, "Stacy, Trey, Sally, and Kip, all of Team Marmalade! They followed the rules of our guild and the general guidelines for all guilds admirably well and have been favorably reviewed by many of their clients. So Team Marmalade is now an official explorer team!"

There were cheers, especially from Bartleby. "You did great!" he called.

"Oh my gosh, you guys are so lucky," Flora said. "I've been trying and trying to pass this graduation test, but never manage it."

"Maybe it would help if I had evolved first," Bobby said to himself.

"Yes, great work, especially for being our newest apprentices," Charlie said. "You guys get to live on your own now and choose your own work. You start at Bronze Rank and can work your way up to greater ranks with greater rewards. You still have to pay guild dues, but that should be no issue."

"Except fricken ninety percent is still theft," Kip grumbled.

Aside from that sour note, the rest of the night was spent in celebration.

* * *

There was a slight problem in where everyone would stay. Stacy had her old house to move back into. She invited Sally to come live with her, Matti, and Azeri; as their father had been a Blastoise, the house was plenty large enough for the human to get around in. Kip was still on probation, so he couldn't live too far away from Treasure Town. Fortunately, Trey found that his old place at Sharpedo Bluff was empty, so he let Kip live with him.

The next day, after waking up without Larry's shouts, the group gathered near the crossroads. "So are we up to exploring Sky Peak?" Stacy asked.

"Sure," Trey said.

"Right on," Kip added.

Sally nodded. So after gathering supplies, they went north to Sky Peak. On their way out of town, they ran into a Shuppet and Murkrow pair. "We need to search for the Lost Loot!" the Murkrow said excitedly. "It must be a shiny treasure!"

The Shuppet sighed. "We don't know what the Lost Loot is, much less where it wound up."

"Hey Marcy, Sybil," Trey called out.

"Oh, hi George. It's been a while."

Stacy giggled. "George?"

"Oh right. Sorry, but I lied to you back then. I'm Trey, part of Team Marmalade with Stacy, Sally, and Kip. This is Team Ebony."

"What?" Marcy asked, surprised. "You're not George?"

"I told you he was probably lying," Sybil said. "I recognized you as the Time Gear thief, but we didn't get back from Mount Fuji until a couple weeks back, when the truth was out. I suppose it was a necessary trick."

"It was, but you helped me out. So thanks, although it's late in coming."

"Hmm, well, you're pretty cool about it," Marcy said. "And we got some nice shiny treasures on our trip, so it's no biggie."

"Not the Golden Apple, though," Sybil said. "We couldn't get through Mount Fuji's dungeon."

"But now we're going to find even better treasures! Let's go!" Marcy flew off excitedly.

"Marcy!" Sybil sighed, then said, "Well good meeting you all. I'd better make sure she doesn't get into trouble. Good luck on your explorations."

"Good luck to you too," Stacy said.

"Especially with keeping up with her," Trey added.

She chuckled, then chased after her team leader.

Team Marmalade then had to pass through Peculiar Pass, the dungeon that had formed on the way up to Sky Peak's base. It was an easy dungeon, with no traps and simple layouts. But once they passed the stone pillar and got onto the mountain itself, things got rough. There were rockfalls, rock slides, convulted passages, uneven grounds, steep grades, and plenty of explosive traps. It was mostly alpine terrain, with evergreens and waterfalls. As time was once again flowing, they found themselves spending several days getting lost in Sky Peak's labyrinth.

After they passed the cloud cover, the scenery suddenly changed. Even though they were high above the ground, the area seemed strangely in an eternal spring. Delicate flowers like daffodils, crocuses, and lilies sprouted all along the paths. The grasses were green and soft, and the grades no longer steep. There were fruiting trees and bushes that had flowers and fruits at the same time.

"This is the Shaymin clan's territory," Trey said. "No doubt about that."

"So where are they?" Stacy asked.

"It'll be a few more levels, then we'll be in their village."

This area of Sky Peak was kinder, giving them plenty of berries and seeds to eat, with only one trap around (a sleeping gas one, Trey had noted, a less dangerous trap to stumble upon). At the end of it, they came upon a village of woven grass huts and a multitude of flowers. A four legged Pokemon with large outspread ears and fluffy fur of white and green greeted them. "Hi, we don't get visitors often. Welcome to the Village of the Shaymin Clan. I'm Shawn."

"Hi Shawn," Stacy said cheerfully. "We're Team Marmalade: I'm Stacy, and this is Trey, Sally, and Kip. We're looking for someone."

"We need to speak to Shaelin," Trey said.

"Shaelin, huh? She lives over there." He looked over to the west part of the village, indicating a hut over near the edge of the mountain.

"Thanks." They headed over in that direction.

Before they quite got there, a green Pokemon came flying out of the door. "Hi Trey!" Celebi called cheerily. "Hi everybody!"

"Um, weren't you pink?" Kip asked, tilting one ear to the side.

"I was, and I will be," she replied with a giggle. "Doesn't make me any less cute, though."

A smaller Shaymin who resembled a flower bush came out. "Must you always be so confusing? Anyhow, hi there, Trey. Good to meet you outside of a time of darkness." She offered a paw to shake, so he accepted. "And thanks for keeping your promise."

"Of course," he said. "But there's a problem now in the gift you gave me."

"Ah, that's why you came all the way up here again. Come on in and join me for dinner; I've got plenty to go around."

"See? I told you that we'd need it,"Celebi said as she flew in with Shaelin.

Over a dinner of mixed greens and roasted sweet potatoes, Trey explained the problem he was having. "So I can't be out in full sun for longer than twenty minutes. Traveling in the shade gives me some extra time, but even that makes things tough."

"We took five days climbing this dang mountain because of that," Kip stated.

"And then, I don't know if this is related, but we found out that he can't evolve either," Stacy said. "The spring said that he and Sally have a corruption of space around them."

"That's due to them being brought back into this world when they logically should have been erased," Celebi said. "You'd need Palkia's power to get that taken care of. But then, I have no idea how you get to where Palkia lives. She might be Dialga's sister, but I've never been to her place."

"I can take care of your skin problem," Shaelin said. "But you'll need to stay here for overnight, plus some tomorrow, so that we can do it right."

No one on the team had a problem with that, so Shaelin sent Celebi off to find some lodging for the other three members. She then brought Trey into an extra room of the house. "This isn't going to hurt you this time, right?" he asked.

"Right," she said. "I'm not as weak as I was then. It will keep you asleep for a long time. So be calm and clear your mind of thoughts."

* * *

Late at night, Shaelin performed the third part of the magic required to give Trey normal skin for a Grovyle. Tweaking a Pokemon's genes was a complex process to carry out without making use of a miracle. She left her home for some fresh air and found her friend Celebi looking out over the landscape. She seemed to be alone, so Shaelin came over to her. "Nice night, huh?"

Celebi seemed surprised; she'd probably been thinking to herself. "Oh, yes, it is. It's good to have the stars and the moon back, along with the sun."

"So what's bothering you?"

"How did you know that something was bothering me?"

"You're acting odd, for you. Now what is it?"

"Ah, well… it's about Trey. He was loyal to me, and protected me when I wasn't able to do so myself. But I… I fell for him."

"Did you? What about him?"

"Well he did at the time." She dropped down and sat on the ground by Shaelin. "We were the only ones with each other in a terrible time, so we either wouldn't trust each other or we would bond very deeply. I could tell that he wasn't entirely comfortable with it sometimes, but I never pressed him for why. Now that everything is back in order, I can tell why. He loves Stacy still. But, well, since he's back and I remember that future, it's awkward to talk to him. And I'm not sure what to do."

Shaelin considered it. "Well do you feel the same way about him?"

"Not really," she admitted, "But the memory is strong. It's confusing to me. And I can tell it's confusing to him; he seems to feel guilty about both of us. I don't want him to get the impression that I don't care for him and yet I still want to take care of things before they get out of hand and hurt someone badly… ah, I'm not sure what to do."

"You ought to tell him and her up front, then. It already involves alternate timelines, so no need to make it more complex with lies."

"It's much harder to do that," Celebi said, looking down at the ground.

"It just feels that way. Besides, remember what you told me when I was in love with that one guy?"

"Right, I know. I disregarded my own advice on dealing with mortals."

"Well it happens with everybody at least once. No need to be ashamed of it."

They stayed outside and talked it over for some time.

* * *

In the morning, Trey's skin had turned a deeper and healthier shade of green. He still had to avoid the sun for a little while, as it was sensitive until his skin had settled down from the change. His scar remained, but there was nothing that could remove that. He and Stacy spoke in Shaelin's house, on nothing in particular.

Except one thing. "Trey, I decided to hold off on my last evolution for the time being."

"Why? That extra strength could help us."

Her head wings twitched. "Well yes, it could. But I don't think it's fair if you can't evolve. So I will stay as a Wortortle until you can evolve as well."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I'm sure."

There was a soft knock on the grass walls. Celebi floated in. "Oh hey, I hope it's all right for me to come in."

"Sure, it's no problem," Stacy said.

She nodded. "Good. I just wanted to say… I know things have changed a lot. But I remember your loyalty, Trey. I hope we can still be friends."

Before he could reply, he got a telepathic addition. 'I don't feel the same way about you, so we can't be as we were. But I do want to remain friends.'

That mostly solved one of his worries, Trey thought. "Sure, we can stay friends."

Stacy smiled. "Sure, of course. It would be bad for friendships to die, even if the time when they were was erased."

"Right," Celebi said.


	27. A Deep Blue Wonder

When they got back from Sky Peak, Team Marmalade returned to doing regular jobs, occasionally taking the higher ranked jobs that they were now entitled to. One morning, they encountered Flora, who seemed greatly excited. "Me and Larry are going to an awesome place today!"

"Really?" Stacy asked. "Where's that?"

"The Surrounded Sea! It's one of the oldest Mystery Dungeons around, but it's not always accessible. The reef tends to grow itself all over the place and not let anyone inside. But some reports have come in that there is a way open again."

"I hate water dungeons," Kip stated.

"But this one has some awesome secrets!" Flora squealed. "Many tides flow into the area, bringing in treasures from near and far! Oh my gosh, can you imagine? You can find treasures from even the human lands!"

"The human lands?" Stacy asked curiously, looking at Sally.

"That could be interesting," she signed.

Trey agreed. "I mean, they say that gremlins steal treasures that people lose, but they don't travel far. The tidal drifts, though, might bring in stuff from distant lands."

"I hate water dungeons," Kip repeated.

"But you might find your treasure there," Trey pointed out.

"Maybe," he admitted. "But I won't like it."

They traveled with Larry and Flora to the Surrounded Sea, but the two teams decided to take different paths from the entrance. The coral reef dungeon had large flat spaces where water was shallow or not there, but there were also holes that seemed to drop into deep crevices. In a few spots, there were streams with tides so strong that Stacy felt uncertain of swimming in. Almost all of the wild Pokemon there were Water type, which meant that Trey had a rather large advantage over all of them.

After wandering about the dungeon all day, they came upon a treasure room with three sealed boxes. "What do you think?" Stacy asked Kip as she picked one up.

Kip sniffed the air. "There's something… there's something more interesting over there." He ran to the other side of the room, splashing water along the way.

The others picked up the boxes, then followed him. "What is it?" Stacy asked.

The Skitty held a paw up. "Hang on. It's over there." He pointed to a deep blue egg, which almost blended into the surrounding seawater.

"There's an egg way out here?" Stacy asked.

"The teleport panel is behind it," Kip said. "But we have to be careful."

"Right," Trey said. "We don't want to anger its mother."

But as they walked by it, no Pokemon appeared. Curious, Sally went over and touched the egg.

"Careful," Kip warned.

She grimaced as the Dimensional Scream activated. Then she looked at the egg with a sad expression. She came over and showed Stacy what she had seen. The egg had come from far away, in an ocean where ice was as common as water. While protective ice had encased it, some accident knocked it out of place. The tidal drifts caught it and swept it all the way here.

Stacy explained to the others why the egg was there. "So its mother is probably thousands of miles to the north."

"That's a sad fate for an egg," Trey said.

Sally signed some things. "There's something about the egg that feels powerful and innocent at the same time. But not the usual kind of innocence that a baby has. It's something special."

"Huh. I wonder if we can find some local Pokemon to take care of it."

"Eat it?" a different voice said.

They turned and saw a half-wild Huntail near the egg. "No, you shouldn't eat eggs," Trey said. "Not good for the children."

"Don't belong to nobody here. Egg is for eating."

"It is not," Kip said. "You stay away from it."

"You no…" it looked at the group, who seemed fairly determined to keep it from eating the egg. "Eep!" The Huntail slithered off and dove into the water.

"You're a carnivore, Kip," Trey said.

"Yeah, but I don't eat eggs," he retorted. "There's certain limits to being a carnivore. Right Sally?"

She nodded. "Not a living egg," she signed.

"Maybe we ought to take it, if there are egg eaters around," Stacy said.

As no one had any objections, Sally picked up the egg and carefully brought it back with them.

* * *

Azeri was fascinated by the strange egg. "So a Pokemon is inside?"

"Yes, so leave it be," Stacy said.

"I came from an egg too," he stated.

"Yes you did," Matti said. "About five years ago. Your egg was white, though, with spots."

"What Pokemon is going to come out of this one?" He seemed to be struggling to keep from poking it in interest.

"We don't know," Stacy said. "But someone's got to take care of it. It'll be like another brother or sister to us."

"Oh, then I'll be a good big brother like Matti," Azeri said.

It was a few days later that the egg hatched. As the four residents of the pond side home were getting ready for the day, the egg cracked open and released the child inside. He was a one-foot tall blue skinned Water-type, with a long pair of feelers growing out of his head, ending in two small orbs that flickered with light. He had long flipper arms, elegant eyelashes, and small flipper feet. But he seemed to have no trouble moving across the dirt floor.

"Hi!" Azeri said cheerfully.

"Hiiiiieeee," the baby replied, with equal happiness.

"Aw, he's cute," Stacy said, patting the baby's forehead. "I'm not sure what you are, though."

Sally made some signs.

"You mean, ask Trey?" Stacy asked, recognize a little bit of her hand sequences.

She nodded.

"We'll see if he can keep up. Come on."

"What's his name?" Azeri asked.

"I'm not sure," Stacy said. "We'll figure something out when we know what he is."

The baby warbled, then laughed. He followed them happily, with surprising speed and endurance for a newly hatched Pokemon. They went to the bridge in the middle of Treasure Town before running into Trey and Kip.

"The egg hatched," Azeri announced.

The baby whistled, then clapped his flippers together.

"And an enthusiastic little fish he is," Kip said.

"But what kind of Pokemon is he?" Trey asked.

"That's what we were going to ask you," Stacy said.

"Huh. Well…" he tapped his foot. "Let's go to the library and ask Kazza. He once told me that there were hundreds of Pokemon that he's read about. Maybe he's read about this one."

In the library, they met with the Alakazam. He seemed quite amazed at the baby. "This is a very special Pokemon," he told them. "A legendary, even."

"A legendary Pokemon?" Stacy asked. "But I thought they were endless."

"They are, but there are a few individuals that live cyclical lives. They die and are reborn at regular intervals. This would be Manaphy, the prince of the oceans."

"Oowa dah," Manaphy babbled, trying to be part of the conversation he was the subject of.

"Ocean," Azeri told him.

"We found his egg in the Surrounded Sea," Stacy said. "Some Pokemon were trying to eat the egg."

"It's unfortunate, but wild Pokemon do not understand. Don't blame them for it. Still," he stroked his chin. "Manaphy will have a period where he is a child and will need watching over. But he should be in the oceans. To find a trustworthy guardian… I think I know someone, but it will take some time to contact them. For now, watch over him and keep him near water."

"Oow sha," Manaphy said to Azeri.

"Ocean."

"I live near a pond, so it should be okay," Stacy said.

"Ocean," Manaphy said.

They left the library. "So what do we do for today?" Trey asked.

"Well somebody has to stay here and watch over little Manaphy," Stacy replied. "I helped take care of Azeri, so…"

"Matti! Oh, there you are." Chiaka floated over to them. "We've got some work to do. Oh, and Team Marmalade? Can I get you to take a special mission?"

"Maybe," Stacy said. "What is it?"

"The Sheriff's office is carrying out a lengthy investigation into an outlaw ring of pirates and they need some extra help. Oh, but they won't accept a former outlaw without a full pardon on the job."

"I'm almost at a full pardon," Kip stated, insulted. "I could help."

"They still won't like it," the Chimecho said. "Anyhow, I thought you might want to be involved because part of the ring is Team Skull, that group that made off with your Silver Acorn a while back."

"Those bums, huh?"

Stacy flicked her ear wings. "Well it would be good to bring them to justice. But then again…"

"Jah see," Manaphy squealed.

"Justice!" Azeri corrected with a laugh.

Chiaka giggled. "Aw, who's this kid? He's a cutie."

"Oh, this is Manaphy. We saved him from the Surrounded Sea."

"Jaow see," Manaphy said, smiling.

"Hey look, I'll watch him for a while," Kip offered. "Those bums ought to arrested and if the Sheriff won't let me go along, might as well let you guys go."

"Justice," Azeri said.

"You sure about that?" Stacy asked.

The Skitty nodded. "Yeah, how hard could it be?"

"Justice," Manaphy said.

Stacy laughed. "You'd be surprised. I'll give you a book my mom had. It should help you out."

"Can I play with Manaphy and Kip today?" Azeri asked.

"Sure," Stacy said.

Kip stretched a bit. "Well this ought to be a nice break."

Manaphy giggled.

* * *

Kip usually wasn't big on reading. But if doing so meant that he got to spend the day on the warm sunny beach with the waves rolling by… and comfortably distant so there wasn't any wet sand near him… well, he'd do a lot of boring things to have a day like this. It wasn't exactly relaxing, though.

Manaphy was enthralled by the ocean: the water, the waves, even the wet sand that Kip despised. He and Azeri played water games in the tides, laughing and cheering the whole while. Every now and then, there'd be a shriek that Kip would have to look up for. But it was just playful shrieks as the two Water types splashed each other unexpectedly.

In the book, he read that while older Water types like Stacy and her brothers could endure being on land for long periods of time, kids like Manaphy had to be careful of dehydration. They needed to be in or near a water source almost constantly, hence why her room at the guild and back at the pond home had submerged beds made of smoothed rocks instead of the regular dry hay. However, Water kids weren't yet strong enough to swim in ocean currents on their own.

That caused Kip a bit of worry when he read it. There were some undertows at this beach sometimes. Not often, but every couple of months, one heard about some hapless Pokemon being swept away by an undertow. They were usually saved by the local ocean Pokemon, who were kind and understanding of their land dwelling neighbors. But an event like that might startle the two kids. Kip shut the book and walked down the beach towards the waves. He stopped short of where the sand became wet, though.

In the tides, Manaphy and Azeri were splashing about in some game that seemed to involve moving in circles around each other while floating on the water, occasionally ducking one or the other underwater. After a bit, Azeri noticed the Skitty watching them. "Come on, Mr. Kip, come play with us!"

"I'm fine being here, watching. How's the water, though?"

"It's kinda cool, but it's good. Manaphy doesn't seem to mind."

"Wah za!" The infant ducked underwater, then burst up in a spray of salt water and giggles. Then he waved to Kip. "Mista Kip!"

"Yay, you got his name right on the first try!" Azeri cheered.

"Kip!"

Despite himself, Kip smiled. "Very nice."

Manaphy swam into shallower waters, then tried to tug Kip in to play with them. "Kip!"

"I'm not a Water type like you," he replied. "It's not like I'm a Fire type or something, but me and water don't get along."

"Ask him by saying please!" Azeri called.

"Pwease?" Manaphy asked, looking at him with wide innocent yellow eyes.

A lesser 'mon would have given in to such utter cuteness, Kip thought. And it was tempting. There wasn't anyone else around the beach, and the kid probably didn't realize that not everyone loved water. But Kip really really did not like water. "Well I don't know…"

"Please, Mr. Kip?" Azeri added, moving in closer to shore.

"Not too deep in," Kip found himself saying, much to the horror of several parts of his mind.

The two kids cheered, though, so Kip denied his pride and cleanliness to walk out onto the wet sands and stand in the shallow tides. He wouldn't call the water cool; it was darn close to being cold. But Azeri and Manaphy were not bothered and continued splashing about. Gingerly, Kip flicked a paw across the surface. The tide slipped away from him. So he moved a step outward. It didn't work again. Slightly annoyed by the giggles at his failure, Kip took two steps into the water and smashed his paw down onto the incoming tide. It made a rather small splash, but the cold water hitting his chest wasn't all that pleasant.

"Like this!" Azeri called, then bounced up on his tail float and crashed onto the water spread full out. Manaphy squealed in delight at the large splash, although Kip found himself leaning away from the oncoming water.

"Right, I'll opt out of that one," Kip said. He walked a bit further out; the tide was receeding. When he glanced down, he happened to spot a sparkle in the sand. There was something buried here. He sniffed at it, wondering if it might be a treasure, or just a sea shell.

"Mr. Kip!" Azeri called out. "Watch out!"

He looked up, expecting to see a Tentacool or something. "Huh?" Then he looked out and saw a two foot wave coming his way. He lowered his ears, afraid at getting hit by a mass of water as tall as himself.

The wave crashed into him, soaking him thoroughly. Sputtering, Kip fought against the retreating wave and came onto the shore. The water weighed down his pink and cream fur, matting against his skin and making him look quite pitiful.

The two kids laughed in amusement. "You really got splashed!" Azeri said.

While a curse was on the tip of his tongue, Kip bit down on the words before they came out. He coughed to spit out some of the disgusting salt water from his mouth before saying, "Yeah, and now I'm a sad soggy Skitty. It's going to take hours for my fur to dry out properly. I'm gonna look awful for the rest of the day."

Azeri and Manaphy swam over to him. "Aw, we're sorry," Azeri said. "I didn't think it would be too bad on you."

"Sorry," Manaphy echoed, then put his arms around Kip to give him a hug and a kiss.

As much as he hated being sopping wet, Kip had to admit that it was a sweet gesture. "All right, I accept your apology. It was partly my fault too. I just got to dry off now. But I tell you one thing: I think I saw some kind of treasure over there."

Manaphy looked puzzled, but Azeri perked right up. "Some treasure, right here on the beach?"

"Yeah, something sparkly in the sand over there. It might be a shell, but who knows? It might be something really rare and unique."

"Wow, that's amazing! Manaphy, let's go look for it!"

"Wow!" Manaphy cheered, excited because his friend was excited. The two kids went into the shallows where Kip had been and started poking around the sand.

Kip went back onto dry sand, but soon found out that the dry bits stuck fast to his wet fur, clumping in nasty looking lumps. Reluctantly, he went back onto the wet sand, which didn't stick quite as much, and washed off the lumps in the tidal pools. Some searching got him a flat rock on which to sun himself and hopefully dry off safely.

After ten minutes, Manaphy came up with a loud crow of excitement. He held onto a pretty and sparkling seashell. He swam over to the rock Kip was on and showed it off. "Tre sha!"

"Treasure," Azeri said. "Although it looks like a seashell."

Kip took it and examined it. "Actually, it seems to be a conch shell. If I remember right, there's a neat trick you can do with this. Let me see."

He put the shell in the seawater and shook it vigorously. Then he pulled it out and turned it. There were two holes in the conch, one at the tip and another in the wider opening. There was also a little loop of shell material at the end. Kip let it drain out the big opening, washing out sand and grit, then washed it out another time. Once it drained, he put the tip to his lips and blew. The shell sputtered and spat out soggy sand.

As the two kids laughed, he frowned and made a big deal out of shaking it. "Aw 'mon, needs some more rinsing out." After doing so and making sure that the last rinse came out with nothing but water, he blew on the conch again.

It was still sputtered, but a note like a small trumpet came out the other end. This impressed Azeri and Manaphy. "Wow, it's like an instrument! I knew shells could make ocean sounds, but I didn't know they could do that."

"It's only the special conch shells that can do that," Kip told them. "So you guys did find a nice treasure."

"Manaphy found it, so it's his," Azeri kindly offered.

"Conk," Manaphy said, then held his flipper out to it. "Treasure?"

"Sure, here you go." Kip handed it over.

Taking it, he cooed over it in fascination, then put it to his lips and blew. It seemed that Kip had gotten rid of what water had been in there, because this note was clear and strong. Manaphy then laughed, very happy over having found his first treasure.

Later on, Kip took the kids into town and bought a waterproof necklace cord from the craft store. Bethany helped to tie it securely so that it would stay in place, but could easily be taken on and off by Manaphy. He wore it around his neck and proudly showed it off, playing its single note for anyone who happened to be around.

* * *

Kip decided to spend the night at Stacy's house, even though she was away. Manaphy needed to be in the water beds. He settled himself onto one of the guest beds for the night.

Partly into the night, though, he got woken up by a prodding of a flipper. He opened his eyes to see Manaphy there. "Huh? What is it? It's late and you ought to be asleep."

Manaphy made a crying sound and seemed quite nervous. The twin orbs on his antennas flickered with a bright light.

"Oh, you having some bad dreams, huh?" When the infant nodded, Kip said, "Well that's not really my area of expertise, but… I'll come over and check out your room, all right?"

He followed Manaphy to the room where Azeri was sleeping underwater. There were quite a few shells around; it seemed like the boys liked to collect them. Other than that, it seemed like any other room in any other house.

He still sniffed around anyhow. "Looks like everything is in the clear," he said quietly, to avoid disturbing the Azurill.

Still, Manaphy whimpered and drew close to him.

"Hey, it's okay, kid," he said, rubbing his head against Manaphy's. "Everybody has nightmares from time to time. Even a tough guy like me." He still didn't seem calmed down, so Kip added, "How about I sleep over here tonight by the pool? That way if anything does get in here, I'll be able to protect you little guys. How's that? Is it okay?"

"O-okay," Manaphy said quietly. He hugged Kip, then went back into the water. After making sure Kip was staying there, he fell back asleep fairly quick.

True to his word, the Skitty settled himself on the edge of the sleeping pool. It wasn't as comfortable here, but that kind of thing could be sacrificed. "Good night, kid."

Before he could get to sleep himself, though, Kip found himself stirred up again by a deep feeling that something wasn't right. He lifted his head and looked around the room. The two kids were asleep and there wasn't anything wrong. Still bothered, he checked out the house and the surrounding area. Nothing.

He paused outside to look at the starry sky. It was new moon, so the stars were the only light to see by. "Something…" he paused, listening. "Maybe it's just my imagination."

Kip went into the house and back to the sleeping pool. After checking on the kids one last time, he fell asleep himself.

Outside of the little house by the pond, a dark figure hid amongst the trees. He waited until he felt the Skitty fall asleep again. "That was too close," Darkrai grumbled, then moved away from the house.

Things were not going right. His deception of even Arceus was still intact, as far as he could tell. They had no idea that he was behind the era of darkness. But then when he went to check on his other plots for this time… it wasn't good.

A wild Combee flew close. Although it didn't see Darkrai, it still annoyed him enough that he launched a Dark Pulse at it. It squalled, then flew away frantically from the unseen attacker. The dream spirit floated on, still grumbling. He would have preferred that the thing put up a fight. If it had been the era of darkness, the Combee would have tried fighting. Vainly, but it would have tried.

Thoroughly annoyed, it was all Darkrai to do to keep himself from screaming or something. The plot to sicken the Shaymin tribe and force an extension of winter? Cut short when that Wortortle Stacy discovered the poisonous plant and pointed it out to one of the Shaymin, getting them to weed through their gardens more carefully. The plot to trick Mewtwo back into his darkness state? Fallen to pieces because of his memories of Sally. The plot to lure Celebi into making a fatal change to history? Wasn't going to work now due to similar reasons, except with Trey. The plot to terrorize the world's waters and turn the sea-dwellers against the land-dwelling Pokemon again? Ruined because the main key of that plot, Manaphy being forced into not being reborn in time, was undone and the Skitty was watching over him! There were other plots that had fallen apart for reasons other than this Team Marmalade, but these four beings were really getting on Darkrai's nerves.

Everything that could bring about the era of darkness where he could thrive was being undone.

However, there was still one plot that was slowly stewing away. One other little trick of his was going unnoticed, even though it should have been obvious. While the ignorance of the others was fueling his bitterness, he did appreciate it from time to time. It was a risky plot, though, one that would require his direct involvement. But to get back what had been undone, and to get revenge on everyone… he would risk it all.

Darkrai slipped into the world of dreams, to connects tricks that were in motion.


	28. The Voice of Dreams and Doubt

After three days of work away from Treasure Town, Stacy, Trey, and Sally came back with the Sheriff's officers and a good number of pirate teams that had remained at large for years. "That was a crazy mission," Stacy said. "But those pirates won't be stealing from the proper explorer teams now."

"Stacy!" Manaphy called out as he, Kip, and Azeri came up to the group. "Trey, Sally!"

The three of them smiled. Stacy patted the infant on the head. "Oh my goodness, he knows our names now? He's a clever one."

"Quite," Kip said, pride coming into his voice. "Hasn't been a dull moment here. How was the pirate hunting mission?"

"Nerve-wracking and tiring," Stacy said. "But it was successful."

"Ah. Well I got a message from Kazza to meet with him. I think he knows what to do with Manaphy now."

They went over to the library and found the librarian sorting through boxes of new books. But he stopped to speak with them. "The ocean-dwelling Pokemon have their own community at a place called Miracle Sea. There, you will find the water fairies, the Phione clan. Take Manaphy to them; they will be able to care for him best."

"So we've got to say goodbye tomorrow," Stacy said.

"It's for the best," Kip stated, but he sounded reluctant.

* * *

To their surprise, Team Marmalade found the ship they had used to cross to the Hidden Lands stuck on the beach under Sharpedo Bluff. It made the trip out to Miracle Sea a lot more reasonable, and unfortunately quite faster. Kip still hated the ship method of travel, but endured better than last time.

The oceanic town itself was set into a coral reef, like the one at Surrounded Sea, but more controlled so it was safer to live in. A Gyarados met them at the entrance to the reed. "Land dwellers!" he shouted. "What business to you have poking your dry noses around here?"

Feeling she might get a better reception as a Water type herself, Stacy went up to the front of the ship to speak to the Gyarados. "Please, m'am, we're looking to meet with the Phiones. We found Manaphy…"

"What? You found Manaphy?"

"Me!" Manaphy cried out happily, jumping onto the edge of the boat. "Oooo," he said curiously at the sight of the pseudo-dragon.

The Gyarados growled, but it had a soft edge and was definitely a friendly sound. "Thank goodness. It was of some alarm when the egg was found to be missing. Where did you find it?"

"At the Surrounded Sea dungeon. We were going to leave him with the Phiones."

"That is for the best. However, the village is entirely underwater. You'll be fine, and your little Grass friend will probably be okay. I don't know about the other two, though."

Sally waved it off, then activated her breathing mask. She seemed confident that it would work underwater too. Kip lowered his ears. "Well I kind of hate getting wet, but…"

"If it's just you," the Gyarados offered, "I can take you under and keep you dry. How's that?"

"That should work."

"Fine, then climb up onto my head and stay there."

Once Sally made sure the ship was secure, the group dove into the water of Miracle Sea. The underwater village was exquisite, with houses made of carved coral of a rainbow of sparkling colors. Various seaweeds, anemones, and other water vegetation grew in symmetrical gardens, alongside growths of coral cunningly made to form like trees on land. The residents were just as colorful, and they all seemed to be quite excited and happy to see Manaphy swimming by.

This, of course, excited the infant Pokemon. He darted all around the group, cheerily greeting his new neighbors and blowing his conch shell for fun. It was nice to see him so thrilled and to see that his caretakers would appreciate him. But still, it was also sad that they would be leaving him here at the end of the day.

They came upon a circle of small Pokemon that looked very much like Manaphy. The Phiones had the same basic body shape, although they lacked his markings and their antenna were shorter. Greeting the group with happy whistles, three of them came over to check on the young Manaphy.

"We thank you deeply for finding the prince of the seas," one of them said to Team Marmalade. "Manaphy is very important to those of us in the ocean depths. He reminds us that it is better to seek peace over revenge, to offer love rather than fear."

"We're glad to have helped," Stacy said.

"Yeah, he was a real joy to have taken care of," Kip added.

"And that's saying a lot, coming from him," Trey teased.

The Phiones laughed, making Manaphy laugh too. "He will remember you all his days," the Phione said. "He always remembers the places where he has hatched, and the people that he has met. So you will always have his love."

They spent the afternoon in the underwater village, meeting with the residents and having a nice relaxing day. But then, of course, they had to say goodbye. Manaphy cried, calling out their names to try and bring them back, but they sailed away. The Phiones kept him close. The last thing the team heard was a sad note from the conch shell calling out a goodbye.

* * *

Stacy woke up, shivering. It wasn't that cold, though, and there wasn't a draft. But something in her dreams had bothered her.

Are you sure that Trey loves you?

There are things that you know that he won't tell you. And you know that he can deceive and lie. He did so with Team Ebony. How do you know he's not lying to you?

And there's something very wrong with you. It doesn't show up yet… it lies within you like a seed waiting to sprout and grow. You are a leader, but you are weak. You will fail at a vital moment. You will hurt many people you care about. In order to spare them, you must do the right thing, no matter how much it scares you.

But will Trey be there by your side, or will he have abandoned you for another?

Awake now, Stacy tried to push those thoughts aside. She was just getting worried or stressed over something. Being a leader of an independent team came with new responsibilities, and with new scrutiny. She had a feeling that any failure of the team was a failure on her part, so she had to make sure that everyone was doing well.

But Trey still wasn't telling her things.

* * *

Sally lay quietly. She hadn't been able to sleep much that night. The past week or so, her dreams had all been disturbing and distressing. As they were just dreams, she didn't want to make anyone else worry about it. But then those dreams seemed to speak of truths at times, very ugly truths.

You don't belong here.

You're a human in a Pokemon world. Few people can understand you. You can make friends, but you can't speak to them freely and they can't be sure of how you feel. Pokemon hold you with fearful suspicion, recalling legends of humans who brought terrible weapons and plans against them in ancient days. You can never find love.

But even if you went away and sailed for the distant shores of the human lands, you would still not belong. You have been raised by Pokemon. You will be an outcast for being deaf and mute, even with the assistant of your hearing aids and hand language. And beyond that, you are corrupting the space around you. If you continue to live, that corruption of space will grow greater and greater, like the corruption of time grew from a small fatal error.

You really don't belong to this world.

It was puzzling and frightening to think that these ideas had invaded her dreams. Was the corruption of space really that bad? And, what could she do about it? Sally wondered also about the distant lands where she had come from. Why did Pokemon and humans have to remain separate? What had happened so long ago to turn truth into myth? But again, what could she do about that?

* * *

Kip shook his head, then grumbled as he stretched. "'Mon, I've had some strange dreams over my life, but nothing, absolutely nothing, like the trippy stuff that's been happening this week." He nibbled at a paw to get a bit of straw out. "What about you, Trey?"

There was no answer.

Turning around, he saw that Trey's bed was empty. The hideaway spot at Sharpedo Bluff was quiet. "Trey?"

* * *

Having been away since hours before dawn, Trey arrived at Poison Rose Marsh just as light began to tint the sky. His sleep had been disturbed by dreams too real to be dreams, and too disturbing to ignore.

I am Cresselia. I am searching for a problem in the world that threatens our happiness once again. It is a problem in the corruption of space.

You hold the corruption of space.

You exist when you have no right to. You had been called back by the power of love, but you've already betrayed that, haven't you? You have been trained, taught, and formed by an era of darkness which no longer exists. And so, you are a threat to those around you. You have been trained to kill, but you live in an era which does not kill until far too late.

If the corruption of space continues to develop within you, it will become a force of demonic proportions.

You must accept that your fate is to not be part of this world.

Trey knew who Cresselia was. She was one of the dream spirits of the moon, like Darkrai. Her power was that of the Psychics, expressing the light of the moon and the hope of dreams. So if she came into his dreams to tell him that… it made him feel miserable, but it had to be true.

Still, he wasn't sure if he felt ready to take those words to heart, and to act on them. He'd come back to his birthplace instead. He wasn't sure why. It had just seemed right at the time. The Marsh was quiet this early in the morning. A few of the shy wild Pokemon were out eating. If they spotted him, they froze up in fright until he passed by with no interest in them. But most of them didn't see him.

One Pokemon who did see him spoke up without warning. "Trey? Is that you?"

Stopping to look around, he couldn't see who was talking to him. "Yes, but who are you?'

There was a sigh of relief to his left as a Castform drifted into his view. "Oh good, I wasn't sure. Your skin's normal toned, but I recognize the scar."

Pleasantly surprised, Trey smiled. "Master Bubbles? It's good to see you again."

"You too. What have you been doing lately?"

"I graduated from the Explorers Guild, so I'm working with my old team again."

"So you came in with them? It's early."

He shook his head. "No. I'm by myself at the moment. I had stuff to think about. This is where I was born. I was just drawn here. What are you doing?"

"Well after I recalled what happened in the future, I've been uncertain of many things. I wanted to speak to my own master, but being that it's been so long, I had to track him down. That brought me here."

"Right, it's a lot to deal with." But at least his last image of Bubbles wasn't of her being squashed to death.

"And if I was doing things right." She paused, but something seemed to be on her mind, so he didn't interrupt. "You said you were born here? It's an odd place for a Grass type to call home."

"I know, but that isn't something one can really control."

"I wonder… I think you should come meet my teacher, Garth. I told him about my students and he seemed interested in meeting some of you. He should still be around."

"That sounds good," he said. Of course, if what Cresselia said was as serious as she sounded, it wouldn't be enough to just disappear from this area.

"He's elsewhere in this level. Come." She floated off down one hall and he followed.

A short time later, they came upon a large rock that stood above much of the marsh. It was a distinctive one, with a hollow carved out of it to give a nice shelter. Since it was above the water level, the floor of this shelter was dry. There didn't seem to be anyone there immediately, but as they approached, a Sceptile came out of the taller grasses. He was tall and green, but his leafy tail looked much like a tree branch, or a bush.

"Who is this, Bubbles?" the Sceptile asked.

"This is Trey, one of the students I took on in the future. Trey, this is Garth, a traveling master ninja. He doesn't have a particular group he works for, but is officially registered as a top ranked explorer."

"So those strange things are true," Garth said, closing his eyes thoughtfully. But then he came over and shook paws with Trey. "It is good to meet you. Although, this is an odd place for pure Grass types like the two of us to be."

"I know, but I was born here."

He seemed interested to hear that. "Were you? Do you know the locals?"

"From a long time ago, but only several years ago. Yes."

"That makes sense only because of all this future memory mess. Do you know a Pokemon named Jessie?"

"That's my mother's name. She was a Nidorina."

"Was?"

"She got killed by an outlaw Sneasel called Bloody Claw."

Garth flinched. "Hmm. So what happened to this Bloody Claw?"

"My exploration team arrested him. He got executed for being irredeemable."

"I see." Garth crossed his arms over his chest. "I should have suspected something had happened. It's not right…"

"What's not right?" Trey asked. He had a suspicion about what was going on here, but decided to keep from saying it outright. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bubbles drift back, quietly acknowledging that this was rather private to be overhearing.

"I don't know how much you'd understand it. Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn't. Have you ever done something that looked right and seemed appropriate, but didn't ever feel right? The regret stays with you, even overcoming the shame that might have been if you did what felt right, but wasn't socially acceptable. I didn't live long in the dark future, although I did receive a nasty wake-up call as to how selfish I had been. But it seems that the time I decided to finally do the right thing… I was far too late to make up for my mistakes."

Trey felt an inner turmoil. What Garth was saying was eerily close to how he was feeling himself about these weird dreams given by Cresselia. What she said made sense and seemed logical, but it just didn't feel right. He would have simply dismissed those feelings over logic. But then if Garth meant something bad against Trey's mother…

The Sceptile saw his expression and bowed his head. "I shouldn't have left the one who truly loved me, even… even if she was a wild Pokemon when I met her. I made the wrong choice and there's no going back to fix things now."

Realizing how tense he was, Trey forced his posture to relax, at least. "She wasn't completely wild, not as I knew her."

"Probably my influence; I named her, after all. So what are you going to do?"

"I should get back to town," he admitted. "Back to my teammates. Something weird is going on."

"Ah. I came back looking to fix the past, but if that can't be done… Bubbles?"

She floated back over. "Hmm? Sorry for overhearing all that, but,"

"It's fine. I'm sure the both of us trust you enough. Since Trey is here, we ought to confirm how your other students of that time are doing. They might be facing the same troubles you are."

"Right, that would be the thing to do. I think they're all around this area, although we'd have to look hard to find them."

Garth nodded. "So we'll be around this area for some time. If you need anything, Trey, don't hesitate to come find us."

"All right. Thanks for the offer." Smiling, he offered a paw. "I offer the same, should you need some assistance."

"Very well." Garth smiled back and shook paws with him.

* * *

Stacy, Sally, and Kip met at the bridge in Treasure Town. "Where's Trey?" Stacy asked.

"I was gonna ask you that." He snickered. "Rather, I was going to ask Sally if you and Trey had run off to elope somewhere."

Stacy gave an embarrassed laugh, even if she did have those doubts. "No, not that!"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Trey asked, from where he was sitting in a tree.

The other two laughed as he jumped down from the tree. "Well, not exactly," Stacy stammered. "But it wouldn't be nice to run off and make people worry."

"All right, I'm sorry for disappearing this morning. I was trying to figure out some strange dreams I've been having all this week."

"So it's not just me, huh?" Kip asked. "What're you slipping into our food?"

"Nothing," Trey replied.

"You guys are having strange dreams too?" Stacy asked. "I've been bothered by dreams… not exactly nightmares, but they're really unpleasant."

Sally knelt down and made some signs. "She's been having odd dreams too," Trey told the others. "When I was thinking about it, I felt something was off about Cresselia's words."

"Who?" Stacy asked.

"The voice in the dream told me that she was Cresselia."

"Well a female would fit what I've been hearing," Stacy said, noting an agreement from Sally.  "But what can we do about dreams?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hmm… well anyhow, I have an idea of where we can explore next. Want to hear about it?"

"Sure."

"If it's got nothing to do with trippy dreams," Kip said, "I'm all for it."

"Right. Well, there's this place called Blizzard Island." She brought out the team's Wonder Map and pointed to a long island to the west of the mainland. "It's kind of like the Surrounded Sea in that access to it comes and goes. But I've heard about this place from my parents. They said that a famed explorer, Splice the Scizor, went missing in that area. Their team went out to find him, as did many other explorers. However, nobody ever found Splice, although they found signs from him. Then the Island became inaccessible and people assumed Splice was dead. But I heard recently that Blizzard Island can be explored again."

"You think we can find somebody that's been missing for years?" Kip asked.

She shrugged. "Well there's no harm in trying. Besides, I always wanted to see Blizzard Island for myself. It was one of those things that if I could explore a place like that, I could be like my parents."

"Well let's make sure we have plenty of stuff to stay warm with," Trey suggested. "I hear that Blizzard Island is pretty big. It might take a few days to fully explore."

* * *

After gathering supplies, the group went to their ship and set off for Blizzard Island. It was indeed a very cold place. The wild magic of the area had decided that it was Ice typed now and forever, and made a frigid, almost polar, dungeon in the temperate climate of the area. It got to the point where Trey didn't mind coming close to fire at the nightly camps. "The Ice type works against the Grass type as much as the Grass does against the Ice," he told them one morning. "So I've been a bit more cautious, even though I need to be aggressive too."

"You had one of those creepy dreams again too, didn't you?" Kip asked.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I tried to ask Cresselia about what she was telling me, but she got evasive and wouldn't give me straight answers."

"Me too," Stacy said. "I even called her by name, which surprised her. But she wouldn't answer any of my questions and only stirred up more."

"None of it makes sense to me," Kip said.

"So what is she telling everybody?" Trey asked. "She tells me that I don't belong to this world. It has been something I've thought of from time to time. The era of darkness put me into a wary mindset of paranoia and anxiety, so I worry about trusting anybody. I worry that I might harm somebody because of this, and she emphasizes that a lot. But even if some of that makes sense, it doesn't feel right."

Stacy took his paw. "You wouldn't hurt anybody intentionally."

"I don't want to, but I still wonder if there might be an accident."

Sally started signing, so Trey translated for her. "She tells me something like that, that I don't belong with you Pokemon because I'm a human, but then I won't belong with the humans because I've been raised by and always surrounded by Pokemon. And she says that I hold a corruption of space that will spread chaos and destruction."

"Wasn't a corruption of space the same thing that the springs noticed?" Kip asked.

"You're right, it's the reason I can't evolve," Trey said. "And she's said the same kind of thing about my corruption, that it will spread like the small fault in Temporal Tower nearly ruined all of time."

"She says that I will fail at a critical time," Stacy offered. "She says something is wrong with me that is waiting to appear, and when it does, I could hurt everyone I care about. It frightens me, but I try to ignore it."

"This is odd. What does she have against us?"

Kip flicked his tail. "I dunno. She gives me a lot of conflicting messages. Everything from trying to make me feel like an outcast to things that come dangerously close to luring me back into darkness. And seeing her... she's that gaudy crescent moon shaped chick, right?"

"Um, right, that sounds like the Pokemon I see," Trey said, with the two girls agreeing.

"Right. It doesn't seem right. I don't even know who the heck she is beside what you've told us, her name."

"She's one of the dream spirits of the moon. Her phase is the quarter moon, the crescent, and she's a Psychic type. But I haven't been able to find that resource again or remember what else there was about her."

They continued on. At one point, they split up, Kip going with Sally and Trey going with Stacy. While they were together, Stacy took the time to say, "Trey, Cresselia was telling me something else odd, but I wasn't sure if I should talk about it with everybody."

"Oh? What's that?"

"She asked me if I was sure if you really loved me. Because there's some thngs you don't speak about. I didn't really worry about it until she started pointing it out."

"Hmm." They went for a few more steps until Trey stopped. "Look, I'll tell you something, but I want to get through the whole story before you say anything. After that, well, I'll let you decide what you think of me. Will you let me explain?"

Stacy worried about what he was going to say, but decided to trust him. "Yes, go on."

"I was in love with Celebi for a while. There were many years in the darkness when I thought you all were dead and I was all alone. In exchange for being able to live without the sun, Shaelin made me promise to be loyal to Celebi, who was leading the battles against Dialga. And you heard about that terrible battle we went through. I nearly fell to the darkness, but my promise to Shaelin made me go find Celebi and save her from getting killed with Mew. So we both saw everyone around us being killed.

"She got depressed after that, even moreso after we tried to find Arceus for answers and found her dead. I wound up taking care of Celebi and after she recovered, well, there was a time where we were in love. But then I had to come back and change history. Because of that, we aren't so closely connected to the events that brought us together, so we agreed to cut it off peacefully.

"But then I always felt a bit of guilt because I was still in love with you." Trey nodded, then said, "Well, I do still love you. You were part of the reason that made me question Cresselia's words. But if you don't like me after hearing about that, I understand."

It did hurt to hear that he had been in love with someone else. And a legendary Pokemon, no less, one with which Stacy couldn't really compete against. And her bond with Trey was different than the one he had with Celebi. But then he did tell her when she asked. So… "It's a bit confusing," Stacy said. "I'll think it over."

"All right."

There was one thing bugging her. "But, um, did you two..?"

"What?" When she explained, he explained something back to her.

"Really, that's how it is?" she asked.

"That's partly why they're immortal," Trey said. "They don't have kids."

"Well I guess that makes sense."

"HEY!" Kip's voice carried through the icy winds. "HEY, GET OVER HERE!"

"Coming!" Stacy called back. They followed his voice to where he and Sally were. "What did you find?"

"Take a look at this," he said, pointing to the ground.

There at their feet, there was a large crevice in the ice. It was wide and had a gentle slope down to the entrance of another dungeon. Torches that glowed white sat on either side of the entrance.

"Well that's odd," Trey said. "I don't remember there being records of a dungeon like this on this island."

"So it's one we've really discovered all on our own," Stacy said, getting excited. "Let's go check it out."

Crevice Cave was an icy wonderland. Many of the ice crystals had formed prismatic shapes, sending rainbow speckles all over the walls. The strange white flame torches were placed along the walls, leaving it well lit. Thankfully, the ice wasn't that slick and no one had any trouble with slipping and falling. There weren't as many wild Pokemon down here, but they were all Ice types and seemed to be quite powerful. Team Marmalade lost several Reviver Seeds in exploring the new dungeon.

At the end of it, they came upon a strange sight. In a snowy glittery cavern, there was a giant ice block in the middle of the floor. They could see a red-orange Pokemon trapped inside.

"Could that be Splice?" Stacy wondered.

"Is he alive or dead?" Kip asked.

"I have no idea on either question," Trey said.

"He's alive," a dreamy voice said. When they turned, there was an odd Pokemon floating down to them. She had a willowy body of icy colors. "He's alive, and for ever and ever and ever mine."

"Yours?" Stacy asked.

She nodded. "'Froslass,' he says, 'I did not come for love, but to explore, and I saved you because it was right.' But then I say, he saved me so he must love me, and so he must stay with me. But he tried to get away." Her black eyes flashed with anger, before settling back to the dreamy infatuated state. "So I gave him an argument that he can't counter. So now he's mine for all eternity."

"But if you love him, you shouldn't freeze him solid," Stacy said. "You can't talk to him, or hold his paws, or kiss him."

"I can look at him and admire him. That is enough. Or…" the angry look came back to Froslass' eyes, "or do you mean to take him away from me?"

"Well you should really let him go," Stacy said.

"You're not taking him away from me!" Froslass shrieked in anger and jealousy. She sent an icy wind their way.

Stacy stumbled back, but Kip ran up and tackled her. After passing through, he called out, "Trey, she's part Ghost!"

"Right." The Grovyle leapt over and slashed her with Dark Blade.

At that, she wailed and bolted from the room. Then they were left with a problem. "So how're we getting old Splice outta this ice?" Kip asked.

"Let's start another fire," Trey said. "We'll have to be careful; fire is one of his kind's worst weaknesses."

They started a campfire near the ice block; Stacy dug a few ditches to encourage the water away from the fire. Once it was going good, Sally started picking at the ice block with an Iron Spike that she had found on the way down here. After some time, the block broke up enough to free the Scizor completely.

"He's not moving much," Kip reported as Sally grabbed hold of the Bug.

"Bring him closer to warm up," Trey suggested. "But I would keep a watch on how warm his exoskeleton gets."

Eventually, he stirred and blinked his eyes. "Ooo… where is that crazy Froslass?"

"We scared her off," Stacy said. "Are you Splice?"

"Um… yeah, that's right. My mind still feels frozen up." He lifted a claw to his head, then pulled it back for a look. "My joints too. Thanks for rescuing me. But, how long has it been?"

"About ten years, I think," Stacy said.

"What? Ten years? Oh my goodness. No wonder I'm straving."

"We've got plenty of food to go around," Kip said, nosing a bowl of mixed berry salad to him. "Here you go."

"You guys are great," Splice said before he began eating.

* * *

When they got back to Treasure Town, Splice looked around with a sense of wonder. "Wow, it feels amazing to be back home. But I wonder who's still around that would remember me."

"I'm sure there must be somebody," Stacy said.

"Like Kazza, the Alakazam."

"Ah yes, the librarian. I might talk to him. But first, I think I'd better look into the hospital." He flexed his claws. "Make sure I haven't rusted or something nasty like that. I'm afraid that I have nothing to give you in reward right now."

"It's okay, we're here to help," Stacy said.

"I wish we'd not do this pro bono stuff," Kip mumbled.

"We get all the treasure and stuff we found in the dungeons, so don't complain," Trey whispered to him.

Splice nodded. "Oh, but I might be able to do something! If I can get back in contact with some people, I'll see about making sure you get proper recognition. Anyhow, thanks again. Ask me if you need anything, really." He walked off to the hospital to get checked out.

"Well now you've done two things your parents haven't done," Kip said.

"What?" Stacy asked. "Two things?"

"Right. We found Splice, and we saved the freaking world."

Stacy laughed along with the others. "Right, we did!"

"They must be proud of you," Trey said.

"Yeah, that's good."

They went to the guild to report on their trip to Blizzard Island, including the rescue of Splice and the discovery of Crevice Cave. But as they were filling out the report, Chiaka came up to them. "Oh, Stacy, you're back!" she sounded worried, a bit frantic.

"Yeah, is something wrong?" she asked.

The Chimecho nodded by bobbing her bell-like body up and down. "Yes, I'm afraid so. It's your little brother Azeri, something awful's happened to him."


	29. The Prison of Sleep

Stacy felt her body go cold, worse than any night at Blizzard Island had been. "Something's wrong with Azeri?"

"Yes, along with all of the other children of Treasure Town," Chiaka chimed sadly. "It's… well, you ought to come see for yourselves."

She took them to a large public building in the south part of town, near the hospital. There, they found Matti watching over Azeri, who was asleep. But the little Azurill seemed to be struggling in his sleep, looking quite afraid. The straw of his temporary bed had gotten scattered about already.

Stacy came right to her youngest brother's side and took his paw. "What happened to Azeri?"

"I don't know," Matti said, sounding upset. "Yesterday morning, I went to wake him up, but I couldn't get him awake. And he seemed like he was having such a nightmare. I kept trying, but nothing worked, so I brought him to Chansey. That's when I found out, all the children of Treasure Town were not waking up, and they're all having nightmares."

"That's terrible," Trey said. "What's causing this?"

"Nobody can figure that out," Matti said. "Kazza's doing research, the Guild is searching all over the place, but we still don't know why."

"Maybe we can go help Kazza out," Trey suggested. "He does have a lot of books to go through, or even just a lot of facts in his head to examine."

Sally offered to go with him.

"I'll stay with my brothers for now," Stacy said. "But do that if you could."

Kip thought, then said, "I'll be going to the library with them." That would leave the little family to be together.

At the library, they found the Alakazam meeting with a pair of Phiones. "Hi Kazza," Trey said. "We were wondering if you needed help with researching what's wrong with the children."

"Good, thank you," he said. "But we've come across some troublesome news. The children of Miracle Sea have been afflicted with the same problem."

"Even them?" Trey asked. Kip's ears drooped on hearing that.

"Right," one of the Phiones said. "Even Prince Manaphy is caught under this curse."

"We had no information on an event like this," the other said. "So we came to see Kazza."

"Dreams are a mysterious force," Kazza said. "They are usually not literal, so I have not devoted much study to them. But I remember what I've read. If you would be my assistants," he pointed to three tall stacks of books, "Begin looking through those for something that could be of use."

"That's a lotta books," Kip said, tilting his head.

"But a big help that you've cut it down to this bunch, Kazza," Trey countered. "We'll start looking."

Trey and Sally willingly took some of the larger and harder books from the stack to begin with. Kip, who felt overwhelmed at the size of the ones they took, picked up the children's books and began looking through them. At least they weren't big enough to be used as weapons. A bit later, the Phiones and Kazza took other books to search through.

An hour later, Kip brought one of the small books to their attention. "Hey, check this out. 'The full moon and the crescents are when Cresselia gives her best dreams, the sweet and light beauties of the moon. The new moon and the three-quarters are when Darkrai gives his strongest dreams, the dark and mysterious depths of the moon. At the halves, their powers are equal and neither nightmares nor oracles can be fully understood.' And if they all started last night, I seem to think that it was a three-quarters moon."

"That's a kids book," Trey said.

"But it does hold some truth," Kazza pointed out. "For instance, Xatu's appraisal shop is always closed on the half-moons, when his oracle powers are weakest. And nightmares are quite prominent on the new moon, while some of the strangest dreams come on the full moon. So we can deduce that the children's nightmares may hold a connection to the power of Darkrai."

"We do not know much about Darkrai, or Cresselia," one of the Phiones said.

"Neither do I, I'm afraid," Kazza said.

"I've met Darkrai," Trey said. "In the era of darkness."

"Really? What was he like?"

"Spooky. He could sense the qualities of dreams of Pokemon that were nearby. But I wouldn't know how to find him in this era."

"And we've encountered Cresselia, sort of," Kip said. "We've been seeing her in our dreams lately, but we each feel that something isn't right about it. It's a weird mystery."

"Hmm. So the children are locked into nightmares and your team is having odd dreams? There may be a connection there. There may not be. But we must solve these problems quickly. We don't want anyone to suffer another night."

Sally snapped for their attention, then showed off something she found in her book. 'It is said that the Drowzee and Hypno clan have the ability to enter and manipulate dreams. However, they do not speak of how this skill works with outsiders. Many of them seem to live under a code of honor that keeps them from abusing this, but signs of manipulation have been recorded as…'

Kazza took the book and looked over it. "If this is authentic, then this is not a case of a Hypno's manipulations. One individual of them would not be able to affect all of the children across two communities and we do not have a settlement of them around."

"But there is one Drowzee that lives around here," Trey pointed out. "Mr. Fred, that first outlaw that we hunted down. He might be able to help us figure out what's gone wrong with the children."

"That would be a reasonable plan," Kazza said in approval.

"Come on, let's go get Stacy and figure out where we can find him."

"I know a quicker resource for that," Kip said. "I'll meet you at that building in a few."

The Skitty went to the police station. After speaking to the Magneton acting as guard, he went in to speak to Mika. She was meeting with another one of the former outlaws that she watched over. When she saw Kip come in, she sparked. "Well you've come in early."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm afraid Stacy's a bit tied up right now to give a report on our last trip, what with her kid brother being in trouble."

"Ah, I see. So long as it gets in at a reasonable time. You don't want to mess up this late."

"I know. I bet you're looking forward to it, huh? Ya only got a couple more weeks to put up with me and my big mouth."

"Well you've shown significant improvement, so I'm glad for you."

"Right, well if that's it, I got a request of you."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Me and my buddies have got a lead in on the nightmare thing going on, but we have to find a former outlaw. Mr. Fred, the Drowzee."

"Mr. Fred, hmm?" Her magnets twirled for a bit, causing a crackling sound. "He was new to the darkness, so his parole time was much shorter than yours. He recovered and was released from being watched some time ago. However, he did tell me that he planned on doing some self-discipline training on Mount Travail. In all likelyhood, he is still there."

"Mount Travail, is it? Well thanks a bunch, hon. It means a lot to us."

"You're welcome, Kip. Take care of yourself."

He snickered as he started out the door. "Sounds like you're starting to get attached to me. Hah hah!" He left the station and ran to where the children were to report his findings.

* * *

Mount Travail was a stark dungeon. Flat rocky paths, not a bit of greenery to be seen, with air so silent that only its faint touch on their skin let them know that this place wasn't paralyzed. The wild Pokemon were very tough, but then so were the civilized Pokemon who chose to live there.

A Medicham stopped them on the seventh floor. "This is not a place for explorers for treasure," he told them. "This is a place for explorers of the self, those who undergo internal journeys into the soul."

"So you guys explore your own guts?" Kip asked, convincingly naïve.

"We…" Stacy glanced at Kip, "Well, most of us respect your devotion to self-improvement. But we're here to find Mr. Fred, as the children of Treasure Town and Miracle Sea have fallen into mysterious endless nightmares."

The Medicham nodded approvingly. "Ah, so that is your business. Very well, carry on. I would hope, though, that you return at some point to reflect on your own selves."

"Do you know of Mr. Fred?" Stacy asked him.

"He would be at the peak as of now, if my feelings are correct."

"Okay, thank you."

"Weirdo," Kip whispered as they went through the passage.

A couple floors along, Kip had been sniffing along the path, eventually coming up with an Oran Berry. "This place is stingy," Stacy said. "It'd be good for those who do need the strictness and quiet."

"Outlaws don't come here often," Kip told her. "There's too many of these contemplative freaks who put up one helluva fight, for one. Lack of decent treasure is another…"

A blue and black Pokemon suddenly dropped in front of them. "Would you respect the quiet at least?" the Lucario growled, tensing her fists.

Trey and Sally caught up from behind. "Lilli?" the Grovyle called out.

Trembling now, she dropped back. "Trey? You…?"

As they just looked at each other for a minute, Kip coughed. "Um, you two all right?"

"Well isn't this awkward?" a voice came from nearby. A Sneasel was standing right by them. Although he should have stood out against the pale brown stones, he had caught them all by surprise.

"What going on?" Stacy asked, worried. She thought everything had been all right, but he had told her that he had been with Celebi or something… not a Lucario.

The Sneasel chuckled and patted her shell. "Now don't you go getting jealous, pretty little turtle. The last time these two saw each other, they were locked in a battle to the death. Trey won that one."

He rubbed his head. "I'm sorry about that, Lilli, but.."

"No, I'm the one who should apologize, Trey. I'm sorry about trying to kill you. I'm not Primal now, obviously." She covered her face with her spiked paws. "Argh, but my discipline's been torn to pieces even since I remembered all that."

"I forgive you."

"My name is Konga," the Sneasel said to Stacy, with a bow. "The three of us were on the same unit in Celebi's forces, in the future of darkness. A lot of those forces have come here, actually."

"Oh you're friends of his? We're his explorer team. I'm the leader Stacy, and this is Kip, and that's Sally."

"At least there can be friendship again," Lilli said, bringing her paws down. Her ears were tilted down, giving her a sad look. "That era punished all attempts at friendship and trust. But it feel so hard to trust this era too, after seeing what could be."

"Which is why a lot of us are here," Konga said, taking Lilli's hand carefully. "Most didn't live long in that era, which is good for them. But those of us who did know those nightmares personally. Like that battle at Amp Plains, which no one survived." He shuddered. "How are you handling it, Trey?"

"Keeping busy doing stuff, mostly," he replied. "And I know I can count on these guys. But, I survived that battle, as did Celebi. It didn't get any better."

"It's nice to know that you accept me despite what happened," Lilli said, wringing her paws together. "But… it's still too much." She ran off.

"I'd better go keep watch over her," Konga said. "We may meet again if things settle for her."

"Right… oh, and have you seen Master Bubbles? She's around here."

He shook his head. "We haven't yet, but it's good to know. Goodbye, for now." He took off after Lilli.

"Having those memories back must be hard on a lot of you," Stacy said, taking Trey's paw.

"At least I know they're okay too," he said, but didn't seem to want to talk on it right then.

At the peak of Mount Travail, they found the Drowzee along with several others who were on similar disciplines. The group went up to him. "Excuse me, Mr. Fred?" Stacy asked.

He looked startled and turned to them. "W-what do you want with me?"

"Relax, buddy," Kip said. "We ain't here to arrest you or anything like that."

"Oh good," he said, putting a paw to his chest. "Some of the others around here distrust my kind, so I was afraid…" he trailed off.

"We're here because we need your help," Stacy said. "You know my little brother Azeri… well he and all the other children of Treasure Town won't wake up."

"They won't wake up?" he sounded curious.

"Yeah, and it seems like they're having awful nightmares as well," Trey said.

Stacy nodded. "And then we found out that the ocean town of Miracle Sea has the same problem; all of their children are trapped in nightmares. We've heard that your kind has special power over dreams, so we'd like you to come back and help us figure out how to help them."

"Huh. That's very strange. I've heard of…" he closed his eyes and thought it over. Then he looked to them again, he said, "If it's what I suspect, with so many involved, this will be extremely difficult to solve. But, I nearly did something awful to little Azeri. If it'll make up for that… yes, I'll come with you back to Treasure Town."

"Thank you so much," Stacy said, shaking Mr. Fred's paw. "It means a lot to everyone."

* * *

Back in Treasure Town, Mr. Fred started off by examining a number of the children there. He entered a kind of trance while standing near them and, while he was doing so, the young Pokemon calmed down for a brief time. After that, he called the caretakers and Team Marmalade into a central hall.

"The children are all experiencing the same dream," Mr. Fred revealed. "I suspect the that children of Miracle Sea are also in the same dream, as I saw a few young ones who weren't in this building there. There are only two beings capable of doing something like this: the dream spirits of the moon, Cresselia and Darkrai."

"So which one is it?" a Chansey asked.

"Um… I couldn't identify the source any further than that. And I'm not certain how to make contact with those legendary Pokemon. I've heard of Hypnos whose power was great enough that they were able find them within dreams, but I couldn't manage."

"We've been seeing Cresselia in our dreams," Trey said. "So, we at least know she's active in this area."

Mr. Fred nodded. "Ah, then it would most likely be her you need to find. As I've heard it, the two dream spirits do not get along very well and keep away from each other."

"So now what?" Kip asked. "We have to find an elusive Pokemon who has the power to enter dreams, when only Mr. Fred here can do the same."

"We could ask Uxie," Trey suggested. "We know where to find him and I doubt he would hide that information from us if we tell him why we need to meet with Cresselia."

"I'll stay here and help the children out as best I can," Mr. Fred said. "At least give them some relief from the nightmares."

With Uxie as being their best option for finding Cresselia either in the dreams or outside of them, Team Marmalade set out for Fogbound Lake. They camped halfway to the lake. But as they were getting up, something peculiar happened.

Sally had gone off on her own to wash up and clean her armor, something she was always adamant about being left alone to do. "I'm not sure why that is," Trey said as Kip and Stacy were just getting up. "She just said it was a human thing the one time I asked. Mewtwo told me that it was best that we respect that."

When she came back, she seemed puzzled. "I saw some strange movements in the air," she signed to Trey.

"Like something was flying about?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It was like something big became small, or something small became big. I don't know what it was."

"That sounds really odd," Trey said, then told the rest.

Before they could discuss it, or their path for the day, something popped near the remains of the campfire. Standing on the ashes was a pearly pink Pokemon, about eight inches high, standing on her hind legs and flexing her small rigid wings. She had an almost reptilian form, except her scales were smooth, nearly polished, into a shell casing. The shell casing surrounded her neck up to her face, giving the impression that she didn't really have a head.

"Oh, hello stranger," Stacy said with a smile. The pearly pink Pokemon was rather cute.

"Hah, I have found you!" she said in a squeaky voice. "You are coming with me."

"Um, why?" Trey asked, not liking the attitude of this one.

"Because I said so!" The air around them shifted as the landscape seemed to melt away. When it returned, they were in a strange dungeon made of marble, in white, black, and many shades of gray. "I am Palkia, and now you will pay!"

The group was a little dumbfounded at the diminutive Pokemon's claim. "Um, you're Palkia, the Being of Space?" Kip asked. "Related to the big guy, Dialga?"

"Yes I am!" she insisted. "I… um… hang on."

The air seemed to warp again, moving in a strange fashion. Then, the little Palkia vanished, to be replaced by one that was fifty feet tall. She roared in a way that was very much like her brother.

"I AM PALKIA!" she shouted, in a deafening and grand voice. "AND YOU LITTLE VERMIN HAVE CORRUPTED SPACE. I CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN, NOT AFTER WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BROTHER."

The group braced themselves. "B-but we helped your brother," Stacy tried to point out.

"DON'T TRY TO MAKE EXCUSES. I KNOW IT'S YOU THAT'S RUINING EVERYTHING THIS TIME. AND I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH IT!" She readied an attack.

Trey threw a Stun Seed at her. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

They ran down a hallway, passed three rooms, but found no passage. At the fourth room, Stacy asked, "Where in the world are we?"

"I don't now," Trey said. "Kip?"

"Ain't never been to a place like this before," the Skitty said.

Sally shook her head. She'd never seen this dungeon before either.

"Well judging from the fact that Palkia brought us here," Trey reasoned, "it would seem that we're in Spacial Rift."

"Now how do we get out of here?" Stacy asked. "It's not like anyone back at the guild will know how to reach this place, or figure out that we're here."

"I don't know," Trey said, sounding frightened.

"What the heck is that noise?" Kip asked. "That crushing sound that's going on over there."

As they looked over to the noise source, there was a roar from Palkia, followed by an enourmous crash. The wall to the room had collapsed under Palkia's strength, and now the passage behind her looked like any other hall in the dungeon. "YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME," she growled.

"Looks like we gotta fight," Kip said.

Then a golden flash of a teleport came in between them and Palkia. Dialga stomped his foot down and glared at his sister. "HANG ON, WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?"

"I AM NOT GOING TO TOLERATE THIS NONSENSE FROM ANYBODY!" she roared back.

"PALKIA! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"You should know they mean no harm," a third dragon said. Although his voice was more subtle than the other two, Giratina left no illusion of being weak. He appeared to be mostly in the wall, perhaps not to make the room as crowded.

"IT'S NOT…" she wavered for a second. "DIALGA? GIRATINA? WHAT'RE YOU…?" She passed out and collapsed on the floor. It caused a minor tremor when she did, temporarily throwing the smaller Pokemon off balance.

Nervous but puzzled, Team Marmalade approached the three legendary Pokemon. "What happened to her?" Trey asked.

Dialga lowered his head and tried to nudge her. "HMM… SHE'S ASLEEP."

"Wasn't my doing this time," Kip stated.

"It would seem that she has been sleepwalking this whole while," Giratina said. "From the look of things… she's been asleep for a very long time."

"Sleepwalking?" Stacy asked. "But she kidnapped us and brought us here."

"I KNOW. IT'S VERY STRANGE. NONE OF US HAVE EVER DONE SOMETHING LIKE THAT BEFORE. THERE MUST BE SOME OUTSIDE FORCE AT WORK HERE." He lifted his head and looked to his brother. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ANYHOW?"

"I came for the same reason as you, probably," he replied. "She's emitting a strange energy now. I hadn't realized that she'd been asleep for weeks, though."

"YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF YOUR CAVE MORE OFTEN."

Stacy rubbed her paws together nervously, unsure if she was supposed to address such powerful Pokemon as these three. But they might need to know about what was going on. "Um, Dialga, Giratina? We were investigating why all the children of Treasure Town and Miracle Sea weren't waking up. We think Cresselia is behind those dreams, so maybe that's affecting Palkia."

"CRESSELIA?" Dialga nudged his sister again. "THAT SEEMS ABOUT AS ODD AS HER SLEEPWALKING. BUT IT SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. WOULD YOU MIND ASKING CRESSELIA ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH HER TOO?"

"Sure, we can do that," Stacy said.

"Yeah, once we figure out how in heck to find Cresselia in the first place," Kip pointed out.

"HER HOME IS AT LUNAR FIELDS. I'M AFRAID THAT I CAN'T TELL YOU ANY MORE THAN THAT, ON MY WORD OF HONOR. BUT MORTALS OFTEN FIND WAYS INTO LUNAR FIELDS."

"You might ask Garth about it," Giratina suggested.

"Garth?" Stacy asked, puzzled.

"He's my father," Trey said. "We can find him."

"Good. And thank you, all four of you, for helping us out. And you Sally, my daughter…"

"Your daughter?" Trey asked, shocked.

"Not in the usual sense," Giratina said. "But I had as much to do with her birth as her parents, so in that way, yes. Sally, I'm sorry I've had to stay away from you, but I've already told you why. I would like to talk to you more when things settle down. And don't worry; I know what you want to say."

She smiled and signed, "We can talk later."

"WE'LL STAY HERE WITH OUR SISTER TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE DOESN'T CAUSE ANY HARM, TO HERSELF OR OTHERS. BUT I'LL SEND YOU BACK HOME FIRST." Dialga bowed his head, then teleported them back to Treasure Town.

On Trey's suggestion, they went to the Guild to ask the staff if they had seen Garth the Sceptile around. "Oh sure," Chiaka said. "He's downstairs meeting with the Guildmaster and Splice."

"Well that's lucky," Stacy said. "Thanks Chiaka."

"Anytime," she replied with a chime.

"I thought you didn't know your father," Kip said, not wanting to hold back his curiosity any further.

"I didn't, but I met him a while back," Trey said. "We haven't spoke much, but it's been civil."

After knocking, they were invited into the Guildmaster's office. Bartleby and Charlie were there, along with Garth and Splice. "Ah, it's the nice folks who rescued me!" Splice said.

"Yup," Bartleby said. "We've got old friends, new friends… a great day!"

"Yes, and neither of you have changed one bit," Garth stated. "But the matter at hand…"

"Yes, did you find out anything that could help the children out?" Charlie asked. "You seem to be back quite early from finding Uxie."

"We didn't get that far," Stacy said. "But we did find out some things. We need to meet with Cresselia and we found out that she can be found at the Lunar Fields. And we also found out that Garth knows how to get there."

"Who told you that?" the Sceptile asked.

"Giratina did," Trey told him.

He looked puzzled. "Giratina? Now that's odd. I've never encountered that legendary before. But yes, I do know how to reach Lunar Fields. You'll need a Dream Coin to access it. However, the Coin only works in particular places and the access points that I know of are in other regions."

"Oh, I know of one," Splice said. "It's in a cleverly concealed dungeon that's behind a waterfall nearby. You can use a Dream Coin in the Gem Room to get to Lunar Fields. But, it's been only once that I had a Dream Coin, and I used it. I didn't see Cresselia, although the place was amazing."

"So how do you get a Dream Coin?" Stacy asked.

"Um…" Splice stammered.

"You can only find a Dream Coin with lots of luck," Bartleby said. "Or, in Lunar Fields."

"Oh… that's not good."

"I've got one in storage," Garth said. "I'll give it to you."

"Are you sure about that?" Stacy asked.

He nodded. "It's for the sake of the children. No need to pay me back, just get them back awake and safe."


	30. Finding Light in a Nightmare

Waterfall Cave wasn't a challenge for Team Marmalade now. They got through it quickly and came to the gem room. "So, now for that coin," Kip said.

"Right." Stacy brought it out of her bag. It was made of an iridescent metal and stamped with a five-pointed star on both sides. "He said just to flip it." She tossed it into the air, spinning. It clattered to the rocky floor with a tone like a bell. Then the room around them melted, like Palkia's transport had.

When it reformed, they were in a fantastic dungeon. The pearl white floors were glossy. Whimsical plants grew along the paths, strange creations that would never be found in a normal dungeon. The sky was an odd deep violet-blue, but filled with millions of stars. Hanging in the sky was a white, blue, and green orb, almost like the moon, but larger.

"I wonder if that's the Earth," Trey said. "Then that means we're really on the moon!"

"That's crazy talk," Kip said. He looked up at the sky orb. "Although, somehow it makes sense."

They walked along the strange Lunar Fields. There were wild Pokemon even here, as Clefairies, Lunatones, Solrocks, and other mystical Pokemon appeared to challenge them. However, everything seemed quite relaxed here, as if there was no threat to anyone here.

Eventually, they came upon Cresselia by a starry pool. Now that they had a solid look at her, she was quite beautiful, with dream-like colors and a gracefully body built of crescents. She didn't seem too concerned when they approached her. "Greetings, strangers," she said. "I haven't had many visitors lately."

"Well ya should have been expecting us," Kip said.

"Oh? Why?"

"You've been the one bothering us in our dreams for the past few weeks," Stacy said.

Cresselia shifted her wings, as if nervous. "What? No, I haven't touched any of you specifically."

"But you're the one we've all been seeing," Trey said.

"I normally don't go into the dreams of adults. I mostly look after the dreams of children."

"But then why are all the children of Treasure Town and Miracle Sea trapped in nightmares?" Stacy asked.

She was definitely startled at this, backing up a bit. "Trapped? But I haven't sensed anything like that…" She looked down at the pool she had been sitting by. When she tapped it with her beak, it shattered like glass. "Oh drat, of all the times… I need to see this for myself." She caused the air to shimmer, then brought them back to Treasure Town. She immediately set off for the building the children were staying in.

As Team Marmalade got there, they found the staff somewhat bewildered at her presence. "Is that the one responsible?" a Chansey asked.

"We're not sure," Stacy said.

"She can't be," Mr. Fred said. "Her aura is not the same as the one in the dreams. So it must be Darkrai."

"This does look like his handiwork," Cresselia said, coming back over to them. "He'll be somewhere inside the dream of these children. How many explorers do we have around?"

There was Team Marmalade, Bartleby, Charlie, Splice, Garth, and Bubbles.

"Good, I'd like this to go quickly. How many children are there in all that we know of?"

"Fifty-three here," the Blissey doctor said. "And forty in the Miracle Sea village, so ninety-three."

"Ninety-four if you add Palkia," Stacy said. "I know she's not a child, but she's trapped in a nightmare too, so we might find her."

"All right." Cresselia looked to the explorers. "I'm going to bring you all into the dream with me to rescue the children. Drowzee, would you be able to pull their souls out once found?"

"Yes, I'll do my best," Mr. Fred replied.

"Good. You won't be able to take anything with you, but I'll look to support you. And please be careful with anyone that you meet. Darkrai is very good at producing convincing illusions within the dreamworld. He won't be able to make illusions of the children or our guide here, but he will be able to do so of me and all of you. We still have to split up. Just be very careful."

"Okay," Bartleby said. "We'll get the children back."

Cresselia then sent them all into the nightmare world. It was dark and shifting, never the same landscape twice. All sorts of strange things attacked them and tried to hinder their progress. But the explorers split up and went on, searching out the trapped children.

Kip found himself at a dead end of sorts. The only way to go on was down a watery pool with a tunnel at the bottom. "Crud, I had to wind up here, didn't I?" he grumbled. "But the Miracle Sea children might be down here." He took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing." He jumped into the pool.

And fell straight down as if it were air. Although he could clearly see it as water, he clearly wasn't getting wet. His paws splashed as they hit the floor, but even that wasn't wet.

"Huh, go figure." He ran down the underwater tunnel.

Going down that, he found two Mantykes, a Clamperl, and a Goldeen. Once he found a child, he used his explorer badge (or at least a dream version of it) to signal Mr. Fred to pull the child out. Then he stayed with the child until they awakened.

He traveled down the watery path for a ways, then heard a cry. Kip ran along until he came to a room with the crying child. It was Manaphy, trapped in a cage and surrounded by a strange water monster. Kip wasn't sure what it was, as its body blended into the dream water almost perfectly. Even its eyes and teeth showed up only as darker areas of water.

"Hey, bog face!" Kip called into the room. "Leave the kid be!"

"Kip?" Manaphy called, sniffling.

The water monster roared, turning around to face the Skitty. "Don't worry, Manaphy," Kip stated. "I've got this beastie licked."

It lunged with a bite that stung something nasty, but Kip used that chance to put it to sleep with Sing. He then tackled the thing twice. On the second tackle, its form dissolved and became regular water again. Kip checked around, then went over and looked at the cage Manaphy was in.

"It's you, Kip, it's really you!" Manaphy cheered, putting his flippers through the bars.

"Yup, it's me. Hang on there." He bit through the ropes that tied the cage door shut, then pulled them through to free Manaphy. "There you go."

"Thank you!" Manaphy hugged him. "Me and the other kids have been in this scary place for a long time. I even saw Azeri, but then that monster dragged me away." He sniffled. "I couldn't fight it with my attacks."

Kip put a paw around the child's shoulder. "Aw, don't blame yourself. You'll grow up and be strong, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks. You're my hero."

For once, Kip found himself unable to come up with a snappy response. He just chuckled. "Well let's get you out of here so this all ends sooner."

* * *

Garth spotted Splice looking around a darkened hallway of the nightmare. "What have you found?"

The Scizor pointed a claw down it. "This place, it's darker than the rest. And it makes me more afraid… yet, it must be the heart of the nightmare."

"Then we ought to go there," Bartleby said, startling them both by appearing behind them. "He might try taking one of them hostage where his power is deepest."

Garth put his paw on his snout. "Bartleby… how the heck do you sneak up on me?"

Giving an extra wide grin, he playfully punched him in the arm. "Cause this place isn't normal, so normal senses won't work right. Come on." He went ahead into the dark hall, soon followed by Garth and Splice.

Although it was dark and getting darker, there were strange luminescent symbols on the walls. They seemed to be Unown letters, but with no sense to them. From these letters, they could tell that this space was fluxtuating. There seemed to be no sense to that either, as the halls randomly became narrow or wide, short or long.

Then they came upon a small white and pink Pokemon; she looked stressed out and afraid. Bartleby still called out to her cheerfully. "Are you Palkia?"

Squealing, she jumped and turned. She clenched her fists when she saw them. "I am, but what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here."

"We're looking for you," Garth said.

"But you shouldn't be here," she repeated. "Not with this going on. You go back where you came from; I'm doing what I can against this ancient chaos, but until my brothers show up…" she cut off in a nervous tone.

"Your brothers are with you," Bartleby said.

"What? They're not here."

"You're not really here either," Garth pointed out. "Your brothers are with you, but you're caught in a dream."

"Dream…?"

At this realization, the nightmare grew shaky. Their visions went blurry and sounds were strangely distant. But then it reasserted itself as Mr Fred's voice broke through to them. "Careful. You've found the one who holds the source of the nightmare, but there's still children we haven't found yet. You'll have to keep her asleep for a while longer."

"Children?" Palkia asked.

"It seems that Darkrai has trapped your mind in a nightmare for several weeks," Splice explained. "And he's recently drawn a number of children into this place. There's others with us rescuing them."

"That explains that thing," she mumbled. "But Darkrai? That's odd. I can't think of anything I've done to annoy him. I may have annoyed a bunch of others, but none of them went to this length to get back at me."

"You don't realize what you have done," a voice from the shadows said. Then those shadows took form, turning into claws, teeth, scales, wings, tail, horns… a dragon made of the shadows. But its eyes were bright blue and its whiskers snow white.

For her part, Palkia seemed to lose her fear. She tensed and growled. "At least I know that you're not one of the chaos. Darkrai, you're going to regret picking on me!" She let loose a massive roar that did not fit her current tiny form. It seemed to distort space itself.

"Is this him or just an illusion?" Splice asked.

"Whichever it is, we can't let her battle it alone," Bartleby said. The other two agreed, so they joined the battle against the shadow dragon of Darkrai's creation.

* * *

Upon returning from the dream, the explorers were assaulted by the children who had woken up soonest. There was a merry time of chaos and joy as parents were thrilled to have their children back and everyone wanted to thank Cresselia and the nine explorers. Eventually, though, they found time to gather and speak of one last issue: what had happened to Darkrai.

"We rescued chibi Palkia!" Bartleby said excitedly. "She was so cute!"

"Incredibly strong, but yes, cute," Splice said, while Team Marmalade chuckled to themselves. "So what about Darkrai?"

"She said that was just an illusion we fought," the Guildmaster said.

"I encountered him a few times, but he kept fleeing the scene," Cresselia said. "And a few of you met his mirages. Do we have any clue as to where he escaped after the dream ended? He's not back at Lunar Fields; I would know the instant he returned there."

No one knew, until the next day when they met again to discuss the problem. "Darkrai showed up in our dreams again," Stacy said. "He told me and Sally to meet him at Dark Crater, just us."

"Kip and I had the same dream," Trey said. "And he was in his true form at the time."

"Just you four?" Cresselia asked. "That sounds like a trap."

"Not even a particularly well hidden one," Garth noted.

"Still, if all of us showed up, he would know," she told them. "He would flee, just as he has many times before. Calling for a direct confrontation, even as a trap, this is rather out of character for him. He prefers to use tricks and manipulate others to do his dirty work."

"We should go anyways," Stacy said. "We know where he is and we can defeat him now. So we should take the chance and go with it."

"That's right," Trey said.

As Sally seemed to be in agreement, Kip asked, "So where is this place and how do we get there?"

"Dark Crater is on an island to the northeast of here," Charlie said. "The trip there usually takes a week, though, including crossing the sea between the mainland and the volcanic island."

"I can take you there quicker," Cresselia offered. "I will have to wait for you at the shore, so he doesn't try to escape."

"Okay, then let's get prepared and head out today," Stacy said.

In town, Garth met up with Trey. "Hey, although we don't know each other all that well, it's still good to know that you've grown to be a more noble Pokemon than me," Garth said, putting his paw on Trey's shoulder.

"I had to be that, against myself at times. I would like to know you better, when we come back."

"Sure thing."

Kip and Stacy were the first ones to meet up on Sharpedo Bluff, where Cresselia was waiting. "You seem rather happy today," Stacy noted.

"Oh, I am." He stretched out, then said, "I think I found my light of the darkness."

"Oh, you did? When was this?"

"It happened. I feel like I'm ready to take on the whole world now!" He paused, then sniffed. "I do kind of wish that it had been an actual treasure like I thought, but I'll take what I can get these days."

When they all arrived, Cresselia teleported them to the distant island. "Good luck, and take care of each other," she said as they left the shore.

"Thanks," Stacy called as the group waved. Then they headed down into Dark Crater.

The dungeon was dark and hot, befitting a volcanic island. Occasionally, there were pools and fountains of lava for everyone to avoid. There were many tough Fire and Rock Pokemon around, so Trey had to keep hidden much of the time. Thankfully, that was the Grovyle's specialty. Even so, Stacy could defeat many of the natives herself with just Water Gun.

And then they hit a room where shadows leapt up from the floors, creating all sorts of walls. "Sally!" Stacy called, as the human had been next to her. "Trey, Kip? Can you hear me?"

There was nothing. The shadows even blocked the noise.

In that case, there was nothing to do but move ahead and hope for the best.

* * *

She heard the giggling of Sableyes.

Sally paused for a moment, but quickly composed herself. She could handle Sableyes now. It was nothing to be afraid of. But the fact that she was an outsider no matter where she went…

However, that thought fizzled as soon as it came out. Why should she worry about that? If she was patient, most people grew to accept her despite her strangeness. So far it was only Pokemon, but it wasn't like her fellow humans would be outright mean to her. She wouldn't really know until she met other humans. It was something that she was seriously thinking about doing, going out to find her own people.

There was the problem of how to break it to her friends.

No. They would understand. She was certain of that. Besides, this wasn't the time or place to be worrying about that.

Sally saw the shadows slipping away from the walls around her. Darkrai doesn't have a hold on me, she thought. Good. And she had faith that her friends would pull through as well.

* * *

He heard the whispers of the darkness.

But it was laughable now. Thus, Kip laughed, causing the sound to echo through the tunnels. "Shaddup, you big whiner. I've found great treasures even if I couldn't keep a single item or Poke from my adventures. There is nothing worth losing for listening to the darkness."

The shadows tried a few more feeble efforts, but could not do a thing. They slipped away from the walls and let him pass.

* * *

He saw the bones of the dead.

Trey felt a sickness inside as he tried to make his way through the dark passage. But he had to get through this. This mockery all around him, this was just remains of a future that no longer was. This was not the fate of those around him. And he had been the one to see to that.

And… Stacy had been the one to save him from his own sacrifice. Stacy truly loved him. He couldn't let her down. No matter what Darkrai tried to show him. Trey had to get through, so he could be with her.

For a bit, the shadows tried to animate the dead skeletons. But when it turned out that he was not afraid of them any longer, the shadows slipped away. Trey had a feeling that this would all end soon.

* * *

She encountered nothing.

It caused great worry to Stacy. Where were the enemies? And that worry pulled out many other worries in her mind. How were her friends doing? And her brothers? Was she going to end up badly injured, or even killed? That would break her promise to Matti and Azeri that she would always come back home. Or, what if she came back and something terrible had happened to them again? Maybe she was a bad sister, for going away all the time.

For a moment, Stacy got stopped. But as the shadows seemed to darken the area, she decided that wasn't a good idea. She moved on, trying to swat her worries away. She had started being an explorer to help out her little brothers. And they had no problem with it; they always wished her a safe journey, and always smiled when she returned. Their parents had explained that explorers had great responsibilities and took risks, but it was all for the good of the Pokemon back home.

And her teammates would be fine. They were all great explorers. It wasn't helping her any to worry along the way. In fact, it might help Darkrai if she got too caught up in her own problems. She was doing this for the safety of everyone back home, especially the children.

Things lightened up a bit, but then she got to the next room. Sally, Trey, and Kip were there, but something seemed odd. They weren't prepared as the group usually was in dungeons. In almost a relaxed mood, all three were smiling and sitting around.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" she asked, puzzled.

"Nothing," Trey said. "It's all good."

"Yeah, nothing going on," Kip said.

Sally nodded.

"Something's weird about you guys," Stacy told them.

"It's okay," Trey said, taking her paw. "We talked to Darkrai."

"You did? What happened? What did he say?"

"He's putting the world at peace," Kip said. "Back to how it should be. It's all going to be good now, so… we don't have to do anything."

"What? But he hurt all the kids back in town! That doesn't seem very peaceful to me."

"You don't understand," Trey said. "If you accept Darkrai's ways, you will never feel guilt or pain again. There will be nothing to worry about. Be content and accept what's coming. Then nothing will ever matter again."

Something was very wrong here, Stacy felt. The weird way that they smiled and did nothing confirmed it. "You aren't my friends! Stop this, Darkrai!"

The whole area seemed to ripple and Stacy felt as if her body had suddenly turned to stone. She fell away, leaving the shades of her friends behind. As things got darker and darker, she wondered where they really were.

* * *

"Stacy! Wake up!"

"Huh?" She blinked and the world came into blurriness. It was uncomfortably warm and red in this room, making the rocks appear purple. Kneeling next to her was Trey, with his paws on her shell. "Trey…"

He smiled. "Finally. We were worried."

She sat up and saw that Kip and Sally were nearby. They smiled warm smiles and came over on seeing that she was awake again. "Darkrai got you into something nasty, didn't he?" Kip asked. "I just hope it wasn't that kind of nasty."

"What… no, not that!" Stacy said with a laugh.

The laugh seemed to disrupt the air near them. Near some brightly glowing lava, a dark form emerged. Darkrai appeared to be breathing heavily, as if he'd expended a lot of energy recently. Even his eyes seemed dimmer than normal. It might have been simply drowned out in the lava's glow, or he really was exhausted. Maybe even afraid, although Stacy wasn't sure of that one.

"Hah, we've got you now, villain!" Kip jeered.

"Your spirits are extraordinarily strong," Darkrai said. "Too bad I will have to kill you all."

"What do you have against us?" Stacy asked. "We never did anything to you."

"You ended my era of darkness."

"You're responsible for the bad future?" Trey asked.

Darkrai gave a single nod. "Yes. I took the Time Gears from Dialga, as I knew he wouldn't notice until too late. And I tricked everyone into adding to the collapse of time itself. But then you meddlers went and destroyed all of my hard work. I tried to stop the human and Grovyle earlier by attacking you within your portal back in time. However, you still managed to ruin everything."

"But you ruined life for everyone else!" Trey snapped. Stacy had to grip his arm so he didn't do something foolish like rush towards Darkrai (and the lava) to attack.

Darkrai glared at them. "So what of it?"

"Are you a Primal?" Kip asked, twitching his ears. "Cause you don't seem like an outlaw."

"I am neither," Darkrai said. "The Primals and the outlaws both lose their minds to power, and I prefer leaving my mind intact."

"But then why do you want the destroy the world with darkness?" Stacy asked.

"It doesn't matter what I tell you now. You wouldn't understand, having been brainwashed by the lies and dishonesty of this too cheerful world. You will die all the same." He brought his fist up and clenched it. There was a rumble from deep under their feet.

"Is he triggering the volcano?" Trey asked, gripping Stacy.

Then there was a roar, but not from Darkrai. The dream spirit turned around in alarm just in time for a large four-legged beast to leap out of the lava and tackle him to the ground. Pinning him so he couldn't move, the Pokemon beast grunted. "Not under my watch, vermin."

"Good timing, Heatran," Cresselia said, appearing in the area.

Although pretty much defeated, Darkrai growled. "You couldn't defeat me on your own, could you, Cresselia?"

"And you didn't expect me to do nothing after that awful trick you played on the children?" she asked indignantly. "We're making sure you don't get away this time."

"Are you sure about that?" The Darkrai under Heatran's immense feet vanished, reappearing at some distance from the rest of the group there. He flung his hand out, summoning a dimensional hole.

Trey tensed. "You're a time traveler too?"

"You didn't even set that properly!" Cresselia said.

Darkrai backed into the hole. "I know. It leads to sometime in the past. Sometime when you rats aren't around. I will use this time to bring about my era of darkness once again, and no one will be able to undo it!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK, BUSTER!" There was a golden flash as Palkia showed up. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH HURTING MY BROTHER AND ME!"

This time, Darkrai was clearly afraid. "P-Palkia? But you were half dead when I last checked on you."

"I GOT BETTER. NOW TAKE THIS, FOR GREAT JUSTICE!" She roared and released a beam of pink energy. It struck the dimensional hole, shattering it into many fragments. But when the pieces faded away, there was no sign of Darkrai.

"What happened to him?" Trey asked.

"WHO KNOWS?" Palkia said. "AND WHO CARES? I DON'T."

"But…" Stacy tried to say.

She chuckled, though. "KIDDING. THE ENERGY AND BREAKING UP OF THE PORTAL WILL DAMAGE HIS MEMORY COMPLETELY, MUCH LIKE HIS ATTACK DID TO SALLY AND TREY."

"Ah, so when he comes out of that portal, he won't remember a thing about his plans to turn the world over to darkness," Cresselia said.

"CORRECT. WE THANK YOU FOUR HEROES FOR ALL YOUR SACRIFICES AND HARD WORK. EVERYTHING SHOULD COME BACK TO NORMAL NOW."

* * *

Back home at Treasure Town, the heroes came back to a celebration. The children were awake, safe, and happy. The future was unknown, which was a blessing. And all the people that had come to know and love them managed to be there, even Manaphy and the Phiones of Miracle Sea.

So what was to come?

"I'm getting off my parole two days early!" Kip announced. He was prancing around the house, occasionally playing with Manaphy and Azeri.

"That's good," Stacy said with a laugh. "So are you going to get your own Treasure Bag so you don't have to keep borrowing Sally's?"

"Oh sure. I think I can be responsible now."

"You think?" Trey challenged.

"Ah, gimme a break," Kip said, grinning.

Sally made some signs to the others, making Trey surprised. "What, you're going back?"

She nodded.

"Back where?" Stacy asked. "She can't go to the future again."

"Back to the lands where humans live," Trey said.

Sally nodded and explained with Trey translating. "I ran into Mewtwo at the party. He told me that he originated from the human lands as well and was wondering if I wanted to go back with him. We're going to take that ship there. I love you guys and I'll miss you, but I want to know my own people. I haven't spoke to another human for a long time now."

"Will you come back some day and tell us what it's like over there?" Stacy asked.

"I'll try," Sally promised.

"We'll miss you too," Trey said. "But if that's what you want, we won't hold you back."

"Thank you," she signed.

"So what are we going to do now?" Stacy asked, looking at Trey.

"We?" he asked, then winked at her. "You want to run off and elope somewhere?"

"Who says we have to run off?" she retorted.

"Oh really?"

"Oh please," Kip stated with unnecessary drama. "You could at least wait until the rest of us have left the room before starting in on that."

Everyone laughed.

* * *

Dialga stood on the top of his tower, looking over things. Everything in the Hidden Lands was right again. It was all at peace.

For now.

He glanced back at a flash of golden light. "WHAT NOW, PALKIA?"

She snickered. "JUST PASSING BY, THAT'S ALL. GEEZ, YOU ALWAYS THINK I'VE GOT SOME PRANK IN ACTION."

Dialga chuckled back. "WELL THAT'S NORMALLY WHY YOU DROP BY HERE, EITHER TO PLAY A PRANK ON ME OR ROPE ME INTO DOING ONE TO SOMEONE ELSE."

"CAN'T HOARD ALL THE FUN TO MYSELF."

"IF YOU SAY SO."

"You could invite me for more of the fun, though," Giratina said, appearing without warning while floating over the edge of the tower.

"YOU'VE BEEN SUCH A RECLUSE THOUGH," Palkia complained. "IT'S FINE THAT YOU MELLOWED FROM WHERE YOU WERE, BUT YOU NEVER JOIN ME FOR GAMES."

"I can try to be more social, I guess," he said.

"YOU SILLY GOOSE."

Dialga noticed that Giratina still seemed uncomfortable, so he distracted their sister. "BY THE WAY, WHAT BECAME OF DARKRAI?"

Palkia shrugged. "I DUNNO."

"YOU DON'T KNOW?"

"WELL HE'S THE ONE WHO MADE THE UNSPECIFIED PORTAL. HE GOT WHAT WAS COMING TO HIM, I'M SURE."

"I SUPPOSE. BUT THE TWO OTHER TIME TRAVELERS, TREY AND SALLY, THEY REGAINED THEIR MEMORIES AFTER A TIME."

"WELL THEN, WE'LL HAVE TO BE EXTRA WATCHFUL FOR WHEN HE DOES POP BACK UP. BESIDES, I DOUBT HE'S MANAGED TO GET IN THE PAST AND DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT."

"WHY'S THAT?"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL SANE."

"GOOD POINT. SO DID YOU HEAR THAT GIRATINA HAS A DAUGHTER? A HUMAN DAUGHTER."

She squeaked and turned to their brother in shock. "WHAT, YOU? YOU HAVE A HUMAN DAUGHTER? OH MY GOSH, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE INTO THAT KIND OF THING."

Giratina lowered his head and blushed. "It-it's not like that! And what's with you, Dialga? You haven't mentioned anything about that, so I figured you were okay with it."

He chuckled. "I UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SEE PALKIA'S REACTION TO THE NEWS. I FIGURED SHE COULD EMBARRASS YOU MORE ABOUT IT THAN ANYTHING I COULD DO."

"Yeah, thanks for that," Giratina said sarcastically. "And it's your interference that allowed it to happen in the first place."

"HEY WHAT'S GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TWO?" Palkia demanded. "TELL ME!"

"It's a long story," he said. "We needed a hero and I found a human child who had been rendered stillborn from the corruption of Time…"

"HOW ABOUT WE EXPLAIN OVER A GAME OF PING PONG?" Dialga suggested.

She grinned. "OH, YOU KNOW THAT'S MY FAVORITE GAME! WE CAN HAVE A TRIANGLE MATCH!"

"Can you play Ping Pong in a triangle?" Giratina asked, puzzled.

"USE OF OUR POWERS IS COMPLETELY LEGAL," Dialga explained. "SO YES, WE CAN HAVE A THREE-WAY MATCH."

"I'll give it a try."

* * *

A great many Pokemon were gathered on the beach below Sharpedo Bluff. The winds blew strong to the northwest, filling the sail of the ship. On the ship, there were three passengers. Mewtwo was handling the rudder while Sally waved to the friends she was leaving behind. With them was Azeri the Azurill; after completing his Rite of Passage, he had decided to go see the human lands. It was an adventure to a land more distant than most Pokemon dared to travel. But he was the son of great explorers, and he dared to go. That is, after he got the blessings of his older sister.

The ship pulled away from the beach, sending a white wake trailing behind it. The Pokemon cheered and wished the travelers good luck. For who knew? This might be the beginning of a new era, where human and Pokemon became connected again to explore the whole wide world together.

That was a beautiful dream.

THE END


	31. Extra: The Last Mission of Team Tidal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, four bonus chapters to fill in bits of story that didn't fit anywhere else!

There were six Pokemon in the Guldmaster's office: the Guildmaster Bartleby, his assistant Charlie, the leader of Team Tidal William the Blastoise, and the other three members, Angela the Azurmarill, Lucinda the Lunatone, and Chipper the Lanturn. The Guildmaster clapped his hands. "Thanks for coming in, my friends! We have important business to discuss, but we'll try not to keep you for long."

"Yes, this is about the underwater town of Miracle Sea," Charlie said. "Their branch of the Explorer's Guild has come under scruitiny. We are supporting the Guildmaster there, as she has assisted us many times. But while they are unable to do anything, a problem has come up that requires a top-notch team."

"Have you heard of the Bottomless Sea?"

William nodded. "Of course, it's where Kyogre lives. But it's also one of the longest dungeons of the ocean floor."

"Kyogre is the concern, though," Bartleby said.

Charlie pointed to a map on the wall. "The oceans have been troubled the past few weeks and it has come to the attention of Miracle Sea's residents that Kyogre is upset about something. In old days, she and Groudon used to duel about whether the seas or the lands should cover the world. Rayquaza eventually forced a truce between them, which has held to this day."

"But Shawna suspects that with Kyogre being upset as she is, the truce may not last," Bartleby added. "Since she cannot assign missions and her best teams are under scrutiny, she has asked us to send a group into the Bottomless Sea, to speak to Kyogre and find out what troubles her. And, should the Master of the Seas have a request for you, you are free to do so."

"How do you feel about that, Lucinda?" William asked the Lunatone.

She blinked her eyes. "It will be fine. You all are with me."

"Then we'll go check this out. At least most of us. You okay with staying with the kids, Angela?"

"Of course, dear," she said with a smile.

"All right, then set out whenever you're ready," Charlie said.

* * *

"Can I come with you?" Stacy asked. William was carrying her up by his left shoulder cannon. But she had nothing to fear being there.

He laughed and patted her nose. "Not this time, sweetheart. We could be gone for a long while. Maybe when we come back."

"If you show sufficient progress," Chipper added.

"I'll work hard," the Squirtle said, smiling.

"I'm sure of it." William set her down on the beach, next to her mother and brothers. "Protect the home with your mother, all right?" When she nodded, he turned to Angela. "Well, we'll be off then."

She hugged him. "Take care of yourself, all of you. I hope she'll listen to you."

"We'll be fine," Lucinda said.

"I love you, honey," the Blastoise said before giving her a good-bye kiss. Then he pulled away and looked at his two sons and daughter. "Now don't cause your mom too much trouble. I'll see you all again when we return."

"Bye Dad!" Azeri squealed, hugging his leg.

"Goodbye Dad," Matti added. "Goodbye, Lucinda and Chipper."

"And good luck!" Stacy added.

After a few more goodbyes, the three members of Team Tidal entered the ocean waves, seeking out the Bottomless Sea.

* * *

It was a long swim. William and Chipper were both Water types, so they were almost at home in the ocean depths. However, Lucinda was part-Rock. The Lunatone traveled close to their leader, to get a break in the shifting currents. At least she had no issues with breathing. As they got further from the sun, they relied on Chipper's electric antenna, which put out a significant amount of light.

After three days travel, they came upon the entrance to the Bottomless Sea. There was strange magic at work in this Mystery Dungeon, as the water became so thin that it was more like humid air, suitable for land-dwellers who needed to breathe. There were also blue crystals that sent out sufficient light on most levels. If an explorer had a way to dive so deep, anyone could navigate the Bottomless Sea. Just so long as he or she didn't insult Kyogre along the way.

"It has fifty levels which must be traversed before we reach the place the Master lives," Lucinda said. "And the locals are set on defending her."

"We should still try negotiations if at all possible," William said. "If we get stuck down here, there's going to be a long wait for backup."

"Well you've got me around if anyone gets stubborn," Chipper pointed out, making his antenna flicker.

"The waters are nervous," Lucinda noted, gazing at a nearby crystal.

And so were the inhabitants. A Wailord met them near the whirlpool that served as a passage. "What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously. "Are you agents of Groudon? You have a rock with you."

"No, m'am," William said with a polite bow of his head. "We were sent to check on what's bothering Kyogre."

"And you mean to bother her more?"

He shook his head, backed up by his teammates. "No. The town of Miracle Sea is concerned, that is all."

"I see. Well be careful. Some of the wild ones ahead are afraid, so there's no telling what they'll do to you."

"We will be, and thanks for the advice." They continued on.

It was a long slow trek, which they had to break up several times. They nearly got assaulted in the middle of sleeping, but Lucinda woke up and got Chipper up quick enough to scare the wild Pokemon off. As they went deeper, the Lunatone noted that the atmosphere got tenser. There really was something wrong with the legendary Pokemon, it seemed.

William had lost track, but at one whirlpool, Chipper said, "Kyogre's gonna be through here. Ready boss?"

"Yes." He shifted his shoulder cannons to a passive position. He wouldn't be able to react in a fight as quickly, but that would be noticed. "Let's go."

The last floor was the largest in the dungeon, with the thin water filling a space that could have contained the main street of Treasure Town. Past an unseen barrier, there was the deep water of the ocean. Kyogre swam in that, moving at a slow pace. Noticing the shifts in the water flow, no matter how tiny they were in comparison to her, she turned and watched them.

The three members of Team Tidal bowed. "Greetings, Master of the Seas," William said. "We are Team Tidal; we came to see what has been disturbing you. Many ocean residents are concerned."

"I see." She swam into thin water pocket. "There is something of grave concern going on. Manaphy is missing."

"Manaphy?"

"That is one of the oceanic legendary Pokemon," Lucinda said.

"The Princess of the Seas," Kyogre said, then paused. "Or Prince, it depends on her mood. She is reborn about once a century and was supposed to have hatched a month ago. But I have heard no word from her guardians, or anyone. She tends to draw attention easily, so there must be something wrong."

William could understand that. If one of his kids went missing, he would be tense and worried as well. But then, he would be out looking for them as soon as he realized something was wrong. "Have you gone to check on her yourself?"

"I cannot do that," she replied, revealing a tone of shame. "At least, not easily. Her egg must be kept deep in a glacier where her guardians live. I couldn't get to her without breaking up the glacier, which would cause further complications. But since you are here, would you mind going into the glacier to check for me? The ones who live here are used to these waters. But you're explorers. You could handle the arctic dungeon."

He glanced at Lucinda; again, she would be the one in most danger there. When she nodded, William looked back to Kyogre. "Of course, we'll go check on Manaphy. Where is the dungeon her egg is in?"

"In a distant sea. But I can take you there without delay."

* * *

Kyogre brought them to a frozen sea. Ice drifted around them, coming off an enormous glacier that hung off a piece of land. Right in front of them, there was a ten foot wide tunnel leading into a Mystery Dungeon. "This place is called Ice Palace," she told them. "The civilized Pokemon who live inside act as Manaphy's guardians. I will give you this sign; it will let them know that you come on my request."

"Thank you, Kyogre," William said, accepting the mark. It was a glowing blue crystal in the shape of a scale. "We'll make finding Manaphy our priority, so it should not be long."

"And thank you for doing this." She waited by the entrance while the three explorers went inside.

Deep inside Ice Palace, a shadowy figure noticed the newcomers. Darkrai was still for a minute. Although his breath came as mist, the cold did not bother him. "You came, Kyogre," he whispered. "You're too late. I'll show you." He went into the walls and the shadows.

Unlike the Bottomless Sea, Team Tidal made quick progress through Ice Palace. By the third level, Lucinda spoke up. "There's no Pokemon around here. I thought the first two levels might be an anomaly. But none are coming."

"Was there some sickness here?" Chipper wondered.

"It doesn't seem like that," she replied.

On the eleventh level, they came across a crowd of three dozen Pokemon, a mix of species that could handle the frigid conditions. But it didn't take Lucinda's powers to know there was something wrong with them. Their eyes were blank, half-closed. Yet their bodies were tense and afraid.

"What's wrong with this place?" William asked them. "We came looking for Manaphy, but have seen no one up until now."

The crowd of Pokemon were incapable of responding, or even comprehending the words. Unseen, Darkrai reached out with his mind and spoke through a Walrein. "Manaphy is no longer here," he told the intruders. "Manaphy was taken by the ocean currents. The egg is still."

"How did the egg get taken by the currents?" William asked. "You were to guard her."

"We gave the egg to the currents. That was the only thing to do."

Out of the corner of his eye, William saw Lucinda close her eyes. She was sending the message to Kyogre, he knew. He spoke to the Walrein again. "The only thing to do about what?"

"The deception and the unfairness of the world," Darkrai replied. "You may see a world at peace, but it is a farce, disguising cruelty. We are only a few thoughts away from savage wildness."

"What does that have to do with Manaphy?" Chipper asked.

"Manaphy was part of the deception, an ancient being pretending to be an innocent child. It is a cruel joke, but he will see the seriousness of the world and suffer for it. Then the deception will be gone."

"You're supposed to be her guardians," William said, angered. "How could you think that?"

"Do we? You are blinded by the deception. You will suffer for it." Then Darkrai ordered his slumbering captives to attack and kill the invaders. He wouldn't let his identity be known now, but he would show them all how serious he was about his goal. The three might have been strong explorers, but against such overwhelming odds, they didn't stand a chance.

Once they were dead, the Nightmare Pokemon left Ice Palace. His captives would awaken in an hour or so and realize what they had done. While that would be interesting to see, he wanted to be away before Kyogre noticed him.

* * *

It took a while, but Kyogre got the three explorers out of the palace. As worried as she was for Manaphy, it was distressing that these selfless explorers had died while working for her. She got them to Miracle Sea only to learn that they were land-dwellers from Treasure Town instead. She went ahead and brought them to the beach just south of that settlement. A rainstorm followed her to shore.

"I hope they honor you as the heroes you must be," she said, then swam back out to the sea.

But not to the Bottomless Sea. With the strong currents around Ice Palace, Manaphy's egg could have wound up anywhere. Kyogre began swimming the world's seas, searching for her companion.


	32. Extra: Poison Roses

Hidden by the thorny vines that infested this area, there was a small rock cave. It was some ten feet across in a crooked circle, with a ceiling only four feet from the floor. But that floor was higher than the surrounding ground, so the murky waters never came in. Normally, a Nidorina wouldn't have lived here, as they felt more comfortable around those murky waters. Jessie had her reasons though, one of which was her young child, a Treecko.

He was a pawful, though. She got up and gingerly nosed him away from a deep pit. "No go there. Danger to you."

After taking a couple of steps back, he looked at her with his yellow eyes and asked, "Why?"

"Danger," she repeated, indicating that he should go back into their cave. The sun had crossed the horizon. "Sickness for you. Not me, but you, no go."

"Why not you?"

"It is that way. This place, danger to you."

He looked disappointed. "Why we live here?"

Jessie went back to what she'd been doing, grooming her right side and making sure none of her poison oils were out. "I wait, for the one who named me. But, maybe we not wait long. Maybe." He was wanting to explore around now, and wanted to be out in the day, in the sunlight. As much as she didn't want to leave her home, if it was not good for her child, it was better to move.

"Who name you?" the Treecko asked.

"Garth. Good Pokemon."

"Who name me?"

"You got no name. And you go to sleep now."

After a bit of whining, Jessie got him to sleep against her right side. Like this place wasn't good for the Treecko's health, neither was her own body, even if she was his mother. She was covered in tiny bristles that could poison anyone who touched her. That was why she took great care in grooming herself every day now, so she didn't accidentally hurt him. It was a struggle that moving would help in a small way.

She often wondered if her son should have a name. But she wasn't sure what to name him. When she had gotten her name, Jessie had been learning to speak in words from Garth. He was a completely civilized Pokemon, a Sceptile who had some reason to camp out in this marsh for months. He was kind and loved her as she had loved him.

But learning to be civilized wasn't an easy thing. Jessie had been a wild Pokemon for many years and remembered it as a simple life. Uncomplicated. On the other paw, civilization was very complicated. She used to simply survive; Garth had said that he was teaching her to really live and appreciate it. However, there seemed to be so many things to worry about now. And it seemed much more painful when he had left. When she had been wild, she hadn't really cared to stay with anyone. When she was almost civilized and he had left, it had hurt her feelings in ways she hadn't thought could be done.

Still, in the past, she had simply taken care of her children. This child seemed different, though. Jessie cared about her Treecko son as much as she had cared about his father. Because of that, she wanted to name him. But she wasn't as smart as Garth had been. He would have known a good name. She didn't.

Jessie looked at him, sleeping peacefully at her side, despite the fact that she was a sickness danger to him. If he should have a name, then maybe he should be with civilized Pokemon. Maybe he would be better with them. But what should his name be?

* * *

The Explorer's Guild… an organization where ordinary people could learn to become heroes. Bartleby the Wigglytuff ran one of the most respected Guilds around too, a place where every Pokemon was welcomed. Everyone had a purpose and everyone was appreciated. It was like a dream come true.

"Chiaka," a stern voice said in warning.

But not always a pleasant dream. The young Chimecho floated over to her team leader, a scruffy looking Chimchar. "Yes Chess, what is it?"

"Quit daydreaming. I want to actually graduate from this stuffy place in decent time, and your slacking doesn't help." The little fire on his head flared. The third member of their team, a Sandshrew, snickered from behind his claws.

"Oh, s-sorry." She twirled her ribbons slowly. "I'm working hard, really."

"Well work harder and don't let your mind drift so much."

"You drift enough as it is," Shale added.

She blushed. Ever since she had joined the guild as an apprentice, she had always been trailing behind her teammates in progress. They were already great fighters; she was still working at it. But Chiaka was determined to become a great explorer too. She would just have to work harder.

"This one looks good," Chess said, swiping a post off the Outlaw board. "We're looking for a Sneasel named Bloody Claw who was last seen fleeing into Poison Rose Marsh. And a solid cash reward too, nice. I always hate it when they give berries and common accessories as rewards. It's so lame."

"The unofficial posts might not have the money to give big rewards," Chiaka spoke up nervously. And that doesn't mean they should be ignored, she thought to add.

But Chess interrupted her addition. "Who asked for your opinion? Let's go grab this loser. I mean, come on, Bloody Claw? He's probably some weakling who gave himself a big name to scare babies."

"Like how you called yourself a smart-sounding name?" Shale asked.

"Shut up, dweeb," the Chimchar countered, waving it off. "I am that smart, thank you very much. Now let's get going."

And so Team Firepunch set out for Poison Rose Marsh.

* * *

A lot of people thought Bloody Claw had changed his name to scare other Pokemon. He examined his claws, black and curved with sharp points. But it wasn't for scaring. It was because, in a fit of rage, his beautiful mate had been slashed free of life…

But she deserved it. She was too beautiful, causing all other male Pokemon to gaze lustfully after her. No, she hadn't deserved it. She loved only him. But she loved the attention. No she hadn't. She would have left him anyways, at some time. No she wouldn't. Trust was a weakness, as was love. No they weren't.

Bloody Claw grumbled and gripped his head. It seemed like his mind had become a warzone, with two different sides holding two incompatible views. Just to make things harder, each side had compelling arguments, so the Sneasel was never sure which thoughts were right, which were wrong, and which were just plain evil. Sometimes he felt evil. He hated (and loved) it. He had such horrible power in these claws.

Splashing footsteps got his attention. Bloody Claw ducked into some tall grass for cover. Before long, two Pokemon came walking along the path. One was a dainty pale blue Nidorina, covered in poisonous spikes and rough scales. The other was a small green Treecko, rare in these parts (this dungeon especially), with a broad leaf tail and smooth green scales. Both walking on all fours, they chatted in the rough speak of half-wilds. "Where?" the Treecko asked.

"Town," the Nidorina replied. "Far place, good place. You get name there."

His eyes went wide and he hopped up in excitement. "I get name? Good! What name?"

"I come up with name on way."

The Treecko, undeniably a child, continued along with a happy gait. But he didn't get too far ahead or away from the Nidorian, probably his mother. Such an odd pair. What were half-wilds doing going to town? But then, why should he care? He was just an observer, unimportant in their lives. But then he had the power to be important. He had the deadly power to go from forgettable to unforgettable.

However, that wasn't right. But why should he care about what others thought was right? Wasn't being a known better than being an unknown? Wasn't it?

* * *

Team Firepunch had little difficulty in Poison Rose Marsh. As a Sandshrew, Shale was immune to poisons. As a Psychic, Chiaka was strong against poisons. And Chess pretty much beat down anything that tried to poison him. They stayed in good shape.

"So where's the mark, Miss Psychic?" Chess asked in a demeaning tone.

She twisted her ribbon in anxiety. "Um, he's a Dark type. I can't sense those Pokemon at all."

"So focus on his ice type," he retorted, getting a laugh out of Shale.

"That doesn't really help," Chiaka admitted in shame.

"Then what was the use of bringing you along? Sheesh. You're just a weight to slow us down."

While considering asking to leave (if she was that much trouble), she got a signal of danger. "Someone's just been badly hurt, maybe killed," she spoke up. "We should go help."

"By our mark?" Chess asked.

She nearly said that she didn't know, but then felt like the Chimchar might ignore it if she said no. "Yes, I think so!"

"And you just said you couldn't find him. Liar. Where is he?"

"Down this hall."

In a lucky stroke, they did find the Sneasel outlaw. In a bad lucky stroke, they found him terrorizing a young child Treecko and his Nidorina mother. The Nidorina was bleeding heavily from long gashes on her throat. Bloody Claw slashed at the child, making him squeal and pass out. Enraged, the mother ignored her own wounds and lashed out at the Sneasel so hard that a deep puncture wound formed on his side. He squalled like a demon and took out his anger on her eyes.

Chiaka felt sickened. Battles weren't supposed to be this savage. Those wounds could kill both of them. If it came down to it, she could pardon the mother for defending her child. But Bloody Claw had no good reason to be attacking so viciously.

Her teammates weren't so shocked, for some reason. "We've found you, outlaw!" Chess declared, rushing over and punching Bloody Claw hard enough to send hm flying.

The Sneasel got back on his feet and hissed. "I hate jerks!" he screamed, then took off into the hallways. Chess and Shale raced off after him.

However, Chiaka couldn't leave the two victims alone. The Nidorina was sniffing around for her child. "Wake up," she said pitifully, gently nosing him.

Making a soft chime so that the mother knew she was there, Chiaka said, "He's not badly hurt, just unconscious. I can get you both to the hospital in town."

"Take him," the Nidorina said. "Keep him. Give him good name."

"Okay." She got out her badge and sent a signal for the two to be teleported away. But before the connection could be made, the Nidorina died. So the teleporter only took the Treecko child away.

Unsure of what to do, Chiaka went to find her teammates. So outlaws really were killing Pokemon for no good reason. The thought made her shudder. Why were they so terrible? How could anyone just kill? Or was there something she didn't know about going on here?

Before she found Chess or Shale, Chiaka found herself being teleported away. She and her teammates appeared outside the Guild building. "Where the heck were you?" Chess said, his fists clenched. "He got away because there were only two of us after him."

"Oh, s-sorry," Chiaka said. "I was helping the victims, but the mother died."

"You're supposed to stay with us unless I say otherwise. Well I'm not dealing with this any more. You're no longer a part of Team Firepunch, so scram."

Chiaka drifted backwards. "Oh, o-okay. If you really don't want me…" As difficult as Chess had been to work under, she found tears coming to her eyes.

"We need strong members, not weaklings who don't follow properly. Come on, Shale." The Chimchar and Sandshrew went into the building.

Upset, Chiaka turned and flew off. They were right; she wasn't strong enough to be a great explorer. But it was her life's dream to work at the Explorer's Guild, especially under a living legend like Bartleby. What could she do now? She was pretty much alone, with no one to turn to.

Before she realized it, she found herself at the hospital. She blinked her tears away and went inside. Dr. Blissa wasn't in the lobby, so Chiaka waited there, trying to at least appear calm. When the Blissey came out of a hall, she smiled warmly. "Hello, dear. Is something the matter?"

"Not with me, not really," she said. "I'm with… the Guild, I just got back from a dungeon and I wanted to check on a Treecko that got teleported in. He's half-wild, but just a child."

"Oh yes, I just got done settling him in. He'll be fine; his wounds are a little deep, but I can patch them up easy without scarring."

"Good. He's an orphan now, but his mother told me to keep him in town. Would the Daycare take him in?"

The doctor nodded. "Sure thing, I'll go tell Cece about him. Does he have a name that you know?"

Chiaka thought quickly. Give him a good name… but was it really right for her to name him, when she was a total stranger to him? But then… she remembered her father, a kindly and gracious Pokemon named Atreyu. But he never wanted to be called that, he always said he should be called, "Trey, that's what she named him. I don't think he knows it yet, so make sure he knows that's the name his mother gave him."

"All right. I'll take good care of the child. Anything else?"

"No, thank you." Chiaka left. Her own Trey, her father, he was dead. But maybe his kindness could pass on through his name.

She went back to the Guild, wondering what to do now. She wasn't part of Firepunch anymore, and the other recruit teams seemed solid. Maybe she could join an older group? But why would they want to take her in? Things didn't look good.

"Oh, Chiaka," Charlie called out as she came down to the living quarters. "The Guildmaster wants to see you."

She blushed. "Oh, um, okay. Right now?"

"If you could, he's available."

"All right." She went through the door and approached Bartleby. His expressions were difficult to read, even by a Psychic's power. His mouth was always curled into a slight smile and his eyes were always wide open. "Is this about my team?"

"Yes, I've heard," the Wigglytuff said. "They forced you out of the team."

"I was trying hard. But I stopped to help some injured Pokemon today and I lost the others. And I'm not that good at fighting, at least, not like them."

"I know. I wanted to tell you that Team Firepunch was evicted from this Guild."

Her ribbon stilled in surprise. "What? You evicted them?"

He nodded. "They were strong, yes. And your group has taken on missions other recruits couldn't manage. But their attitudes were bad and they haven't shown the right sense of priority. And their honor is shaky at best. I've talked with Chess many times and told him to improve, but he hasn't. So, Team Firepunch were thrown out."

"Oh my." Chiaka felt a sense of dread. "What about me?"

"What about you?" Bartleby echoed. "They evicted you from their team before I evicted them from the Guild. So, you still belong to this guild as an apprentice, if you wish."

That cheered her some. "Good. But, I don't think I'm a very good explorer, so I don't know of a team that would want to take me."

"Hmm, you have had trouble during your training." He put his paw to his chin, but then widened his smile. "In that case, how about we change you over to a staff member instead? You can train to be our Psychic receiver and manager, since Darla's going to retire soon."

"Really? That would be great! Oh, but I can't learn teleportation…"

"You don't have to teleport," he pointed out. "You're just the manager. We have an anti-teleport field around the building for security reasons. So, any request to teleport in, back, away, or anywhere, must be approved by a manager. That'll be your job."

"Okay, I should be able to handle that." Overjoyed, she bowed. "Thank you, Bartleby. I'll go talk to Darla right away."

"You're welcome!" he responded in a cheery sing-song voice. "I've very glad that you've decided to stay."

"Of-of course," she replied, then left because she was blushing with pride at his words. Bartleby wasn't just a living legend among explorers, he was a wonderful Pokemon.

* * *

A couple of months later, Chiaka was doing some studying at the library when she encountered Trey the Treecko again. The child was on a shelf that was eight feet off the ground, hidden away while reading a book. The Chimecho smiled shyly; with her change of position, she had been so busy that she hadn't been able to come visit the child again. "Hello there," she said in a kind voice.

He tensed, having been jerked out of his reading trance. "Oh, um, hi," he said nervously. "D-don't tell anybody that I'm here, okay?"

He's articulate enough that you couldn't tell he'd once been half-wild, Chiaka thought to herself. "Okay, I'm just looking for a particular book."

"Don't tell anybody that you're hiding up there, is that so Trey?" the librarian Alakazam stated from somewhere else in the stacks. "The Daycare group is leaving in a few minutes."

"Aw, do I have to leave so soon?" he whined.

Kazza appeared, floating alongside Chiaka. "Yes, you do," he said firmly. "You can have Cece check out the book for you, if you want. How is it?"

"It's a little tough, but I can read it," he said.

Chiaka looked at the thick book he had and couldn't believe a child Pokemon was interested in that. But then Kazza smiled and patted Trey. "You should be careful; your mind is developing far faster than your body, which rarely happens among Grass Pokemon. You must have been blessed by Uxie somehow." He then drifted off.

"Excuse me," Trey said politely to Chiaka, then took his book under one arm and crawled along the shelf. Despite not having use of all four paws, he managed to cling to the vertical surfaces. "Who's Uxie?"

"The Being of Knowledge, a legendary Pokemon. I can get you another book that will tell you more about him, if you want."

"Yes please!" he replied, curling his tail excitedly.

Chiaka smiled at them. "I hope your mother's happy," she said softly, then went back to looking for her book.


	33. Extra: A Thousand and One Time Gears

Mewtwo leaned against the back wall of the meeting place, uncertain of what to do but trying not to look it. He had come to this meeting of legendary Pokemon, the first such meeting that he had been summoned for. Well, there was that one, but it had been a court session, not a general meeting. And he had been the defendant, so he had no choice in that matter. This one, he could have skipped out on it. But he thought better of it and came.

"So what was the deal with the terrarium?" someone asked him.

Looking down, he saw two small Pokemon that resembled… no, they were. "What are you two doing so small?" he asked Dialga and Palkia.

"It was her doing," Dialga said.

"Well you were the one complaining about how we can't go out in public cause we're giants," she countered, playfully shoving him.

"You overcorrected the problem," he said, lowering his head in some embarrassment.

"I suppose that makes sense," Mewtwo said, still holding his arms across his chest.

They either ignored or didn't get the posture of indifference. "So why the terrarium?" Palkia repeated.

"What about a terrarium?" he asked back, although he was pretty sure of what she meant.

"Back when you were punished, Arceus said that you would be sealed into a one level dungeon with a terrarium. It was a pretty bizarre sentence."

"It was an object lesson," Mewtwo explained. "The dungeon shifted itself apparently at random, but the terrarium was the key. If I damaged or neglected the plants growing in there, the dungeon would get smaller and of worse condition. If I took care of the plants, the dungeon became decent. But it wasn't until I learned to care about that thing for itself, not just its influence on the dungeon, that I would be released. It may have been bizarre, but it got the point across."

"I told you that Arceus would have a reason for it," Dialga said. "He learned from it, but Giratina wouldn't have been able to generalize like that. That's why he got stuck only being able to watch the rest of the world for centuries until he got it."

"I guess I was lucky that way," Mewtwo admitted. "About Giratina though… would he…?"

Before he could ask if he would accept a challenge (Mewtwo really wanted to try battling someone that powerful), Arceus was on the raised stage. She didn't have to ask for quiet, as all who were in attendance quieted on their own. "You have been called to discuss the recent doings of Darkrai, including the era of darkness which has been erased."

"He boldly lied in front of all four of us," Azelf said. "And none of us caught the lies."

"His deceptive powers have grown," Arceus agreed. "As have other powers."

"I did not teach him about the flow of Time," Celebi said.

"Nor did I," Dialga added.

"So he had done so alone. And alone he orchestrated the destruction of world order, for unspoken reasons." And then Arceus looked to Mewtwo.

He felt abruptly in the spotlight; he was expected to say something now. Mewtwo was caught by surprise and wasn't sure what to do. But then Mew appeared by him. That was a reassurance; she had spoken to and befriended him while he was in captivity, so no matter what, he knew that she was on his side.

And something did come to mind then. "I met him once in the darkness," Mewtwo said. "He seemed strangely at peace, serene in the chaos."

Once he said it, Arceus' eyes drifted away, putting him out of the spotlight. For the time being, anyhow. He gave a slight nod of thanks to Mew; she smiled in response.

"And there have been other crimes that he has committed," Arceus went on. "Nearly poisoning the Shaymin tribe, sending Manaphy's egg adrift, causing many kinks in the flow of history. Everything has been reset, so that few remain dead from his actions. But all of us bear some or many troubled memories of the future of darkness, so he has affected more people negatively than any of the rest of us. But I have learned of something he said nearly three years before he revealed himself to us. This comes from Kyogre's memory." She closed her eyes, then recited, "It is, 'You may see a world at peace, but it is a farce, disguising cruelty. We are only a few thoughts away from savage wildness.' There are not many who would call the world cruel. We should know what caused this belief in him."

She then looked to Giratina. He was in a small form too, floating in the air above a bench. Nodding, the ghost dragon flew up to the stage. "I spent a long time studying the mess that was made of history. It starts over a hundred years before any of us knew there was trouble brewing, but the roots go much further back then that. And it seems that all of us are a bit responsible in turning Darkrai to such extremes." He spun on himself a moment, then corrected, "Well, all of us save Mewtwo, since he spent the last century in solitary confinement."

"That's hardly reassuring," Mewtwo said in a flat voice, causing a tittering from a couple of the Pokemon in the room.

"Go on," Arceus said.

"I can tell you why Darkrai did what he did," Giratina said, and then began recalling some memories of the world.

* * *

He was a grand and impressive Pokemon, with hair of live fire and a fast noble body. Alfonzo the Rapidash had been a great explorer, an extraordinary individual. In his time, he had been the greatest hero. Pokemon had sought him out from every corner of the world for missions no one else could take.

But that was in his time. These days, Alfonzo was old. His white fur was patchy, his red fires didn't burn as hot. His sight was a little fuzzy and his bones ached every morning. But despite being told by all of his friends to retire, Alfonzo was not ready to do so yet.

At least his new apprentice wasn't bugging him to slow down, for the sake of his health. "Don't get too distracted in looking for little treasures," the Rapidash scolded. "They're in every dungeon. Seek what you may need, but keep your mind focused on the big prize."

"I am focused, Alfonzo," the apprentice said, coming back from checking out the glitter of some small change. "I was just wondering what it was."

The kid was a strange one, he thought. He'd never seen a Pokemon like Darkrai before, but then his eyesight might be off. Alfonzo wouldn't admit that, though. "It's too little of a sparkle for me to check out," he said. "And big treasures won't be this early in the dungeon. And I have our goal set on a big prize."

"What is it?"

"A Time Gear. We won't be able to take it, but it is a thing to brag about. The Gears are well hidden, deep in strong dungeons. There are a thousand and one of them scattered about the world…"

"That number seems a little low," Darkrai commented.

"I know what I'm talking about," Alfonzo argued. "I'm the master explorer around here."

"You are." He blinked, then tried to disguise a yawn. His eyelids drooped, but soon snapped open.

"I've been seeking out these Time Gears for a long time. I wanted to see all one thousand and one of them for myself. And I'm nearly there!" Actually, he wasn't sure how many he had tracked down. Or how many he had seen personally instead of just finding evidence that it was around. But he liked to think that he was nearly to the point of 'seeing' all of them.

"That's very impressive," Darkrai said in admiration.

"It's been hard work, so I can't give up now. Let's go."

Darkrai and Alfonzo continued down in the dungeon, a place known as Glittering Galley. It was a dark cave system, with the hundreds of tiny lights that were not enough to fully pierce the gloom. As they went along, the crystals in the wall reflected the Rapidash's fires. Alfonzo claimed that he was setting the walls on fire; Darkrai agreed.

Deep in the Galley, they set up camp for the night. Always, the Rapidash has set up camp by finding a passage and attaching something to it. That kept the dungeon from getting them lost while they were asleep. Having hands, Darkrai was able to set up a shelter that would keep the wild Pokemon away. However, he was fumbling a lot tonight.

Alfonso noticed his growing frustration, but also the lack of energy he had. Darkrai had slightly glowing eyes, but they were dim right now and his drifting features like his hair and cloak appeared heavier than usual. "You get to sleep early," he told his apprentice. "You seem exhausted today."

"I'm fine," he insisted. He thought, then added, "How has your sleep been? Any nightmares?"

"I've been just fine the past couple of weeks, thanks. No dreams whatsoever, actually, but that's fine." A while ago, he had experienced a streak of bad dreams, like nothing he'd had since he was a little Ponyta. He would wake up tired and frantic, but then be unable to sleep for the rest of the night. It was odd: Darkrai didn't bother him about his age, but seemed terribly concerned about the nightmares. But a good odd, as his apprentice didn't stop him from exploring. "You go ahead and sleep."

"I guess. I could stay up a while longer if you need me." Despite that, once he closed his eyes, he was out like a light.

"You shouldn't push yourself when you've got too little sleep," Alfonzo thought aloud. He stayed awake a while longer before going to sleep himself.

* * *

Yesterday had been hazy. Darkrai had trouble keeping a string of thoughts together and relied on following Alfonzo for directions. He was almost certain that he had dozed off while traveling. However, he had managed to keep alert enough to focus his attention inwardly.

And it was important that he keep that focus. His aura caused nightmares in anyone who was sleeping near him. While causing nightmares was fun from time to time, the aura was constantly active. He had no control over it, as it hit anyone and everyone within range. It made it difficult for him to make friends, as his mere presence could cause pain.

If he kept his focus inward, he could restrain that ability. But it took constant focus and strong will to do. He could not lapse even a moment, even for his own sleep.

Darkrai had just been asleep.

In a panic, he came fully awake and tried to focus on stopping his ability. But it was too late. Alfonzo was already caught up in a nightmare. And no matter how Darkrai tried to focus, it wasn't relenting. Groggy cries in the distant halls indicated that the locals were also having trouble.

Darkrai decided to try something he hadn't done before. He transferred his conscious into Alfonzo's, in order to stop the nightmare there. Inside, it was a nasty watery mess, where the ground shook every couple of minutes. He usually just left the dreamer to get out of their dreams on their own. But he managed to pull Alfonzo out of his.

Once their minds were back in Glittering Galley, Darkrai clutched his hands together in nervousness. "Alfonzo."

"It was you," the Rapidash growled. "You traitor! You caused that sudden rash of nightmares I had, and then the sudden lack."

"I didn't mean for this to…"

"You mean to undermine my life's dream!" he yelled, stamping his hoof down hard. "You were an enemy right under my nose. But you're not going to get away with this!"

There wasn't any talking sense with him now. So Darkrai bolted by teleporting out of the dungeon. It was a common skill among legendary Pokemon, coming and going as they pleased. He didn't care where he wound up, just so long as it was away from Glittering Galley.

He didn't get a good look around his destination before he saw that he had came right into a group of sleeping Bidoofs. He teleported again, out of the night half of the world. But again, he wound up near a sleeping Pokemon, this time a Snorlax. Great, it was this run about again. Darkrai tried teleporting again.

This time, there was quiet. It was a Mystery Dungeon, another sparkling cave. Sighing, Darkrai brushed his hair back. There were times like this where he wished he wasn't a legendary Pokemon. Then he wouldn't be cursed with this wretched Bad Dreams ability. Then he could actually have some friends, and be happy about it. As it was, not even his supposed partner, the crescent moon Cresselia, liked him. She got defensive any time he came near her.

He turned around to look at the place he had arrived and saw a sleeping Pokemon nearby. As his body went cold, he realized that it was Jirachi, another legendary. This one slept for centuries at a time, yet her spirit was nearly always alert.

"Why do you disturb my sleep?" a harsh telepathic voice entered Darkrai's mind. Without waking, she moved a hand and sent an attack at him.

"I didn't mean to, dammit!" he shouted, then teleported away. He had to go far far away, someplace where there wasn't anyone to be affected by his aura.

He wound up in a place of dark starry skies and an endless landscape of white snow. Almost endless. Not that far from him, there was a green dome of light that encircled a Time Gear. As conditions were so extreme here at the antarctic ice cap, there weren't even diehard Ice Pokemon here. it was just Darkrai, finally alone.

Had Alfonzo seen this Time Gear? Darkrai wondered, but doubted the Rapidash had gotten to this solitary location. He watched it for a while, ticking and tugging at unseen energy. It was just in a gap in the snow. Could it be taken? Darkrai tried, but it lashed out at him.

He paused, wondering if Dialga would come investigate. But no one came and the Gear kept ticking. It supposedly conducted time. But what did that mean? Wasn't time a strong force on its own, having no need for support? What secrets did the Time Gears hold?

Well, he couldn't disturb anyone out here. Darkrai continued watching the Time Gear. Perhaps he could learn something from it.

* * *

The world wasn't fair. Darkrai had spent a century in solitude, watching the Time Gear. During that time, no one had disturbed him and he had disturbed no one. That is, save for the time that he had visited himself, by using his observations to make a Time Passage. He had thought of it, then met with himself to discuss this issue, considered about it, then made a Passage to go talk to himself. It was the only conversation he had had since running into Jirachi.

And all that time had convinced him that all the niceness, politeness, civility, and peace were all false, a delusion that the Pokemon and humans of the world lived under. They wanted war, darkness, and brutal honesty, but the delusion held onto them like chains, enslaving them to the idea of civilization. It was all proven in him.

If the world were truly fair and nice, no one would be isolated. No one would be rejected for something they could not control. And most of all, an unconscious aura power that caused pain would not have even been thought of, much less given to one of the most powerful beings in the world. Since he was the anomaly in the delusion, it was only right that he be the one to rip it apart.

He had ideas to pull this off. Many ideas. They could all lead to a greater degree of truth in the world, an absolute equalizing. The result might not be so nice, but it would be more fair.

Darkrai was going to do the world a massive favor.

* * *

A century in total solitude would drive one insane, Mewtwo reflected. Each idea would be thought out without another mind to analyze and criticize it. A simple idea like life being unfair could warp into an theory that the world was intentionally cruel and needed to be saved. Still, Mewtwo felt a little admiration in that Darkrai had learned the secrets of time travel simply by constant observation of a Time Gear.

For himself, Mew had kept him from falling into a trap like that. She had visited him regularly, to the point of making him worried if she missed a visit. Although, he still hadn't thanked her or anything. Maybe he should. Without her, he could have been the one to ruin the world.

"So his isolation made him forget his purpose," Cresselia said. Mewtwo noted that he wasn't the only one who was puzzled by her statement.

But she and Arceus seemed to know. "That would be so," Arceus replied. "I know he's difficult to work with, but you should try working things out when he calms down. But in order to do that, someone must reach out to him. As for a trial and punishment… we shall see, once he appears again."


	34. Extra: Zero Rewards

"This is getting to be annoying," Kip said, batting at the berries that made up his dinner.

"What is?" Trey asked

He frowned and his ears twisted back. "I can't find a freaking Moon Stone anywhere! I can't even get a trade for one in town."

"That is disappointing," Stacy said.

Kip looked over at the two of them. They were still at second stage as a Grovyle and Wortortle. He had a feeling that they were holding off until he could find a Moon Stone. While it was a nice thought, he didn't think it was necessary. "You wouldn't think it would be this hard. Maybe I ought to try getting into the Lunar Fields again."

"You could try the Zero Island challenge," Trey suggested.

"Are you kidding?" Kip asked.

"No, I think you could do it."

"What's the Zero Island challenge?" a friend of Matti's asked. The Marill had built himself his own home nearby, but still joined them for meals and gatherings. Occasionally, he brought some friends over, which was always welcomed.

"Just about the toughest thing an explorer could do," Kip said. "Okay, there's this island south of here where wild magic is incredibly dense. It's makes this ginormous tower of a Mystery Dungeon that's made up of ninety-nine floors."

"Ninety-nine floors?" the Porygon repeated, awed. "I heard about a dungeon the other day with fifty floors, but almost a hundred? That's got to be tough."

"And it gets worse," Kip went on. "The magic forbids you from entering as a group. And it weakens you as well, dropping an experienced explorer like me down to the strength of a civilian like you. And it keeps all the traps, the wild Pokemon, and everything else that makes dungeons difficult."

"So why would anyone go there?" Matti asked.

"The treasure," Trey said. "Zero Island always gives out the best treasures to those who can survive it. They say that evolutions stones, like the Moon Stone, are very commonly found there. You can even get away with using an Escape Orb once you find the treasure you want."

"Yeah, if you can find an Escape Orb there," Kip pointed out. "That's another one of the restrictions of Zero Island. You can only bring a few things with you and that repeatedly does not include Escape Orbs."

"But if you can't find it anywhere else, it could be worth a shot," Stacy said. "I'm sure you could survive Zero Island."

"That's nice of you guys, but I've got to think it over before I go throwing my life on the line."

* * *

Several dangerous dungeons later with no Moon Stone in sight, Kip finally settled on trying his luck at Zero Island. "You don't need to stick around," he told his friends. "I want you all to remember me as a redeemed hero, not as a sissy fraidy-cat… oh Mew, I'm gonna die!"

Stacy smiled and patted him. "Or should we remember you as an overdramatic Skitty?"

"Well I suppose I can be remembered as that too," Kip said, examining his paws. "So, I should be seeing you guys sometime in the next month."

"Good luck," Stacy said.

"And really, don't get yourself killed," Trey added.

"I'll do my best not to get that outcome," Kip said. Then he hopped on the back of a friendly Lapras and set off for Zero Island.

* * *

Zero Island was unreal. Although a wild place, the island was incredibly well kept, with brick pathways, decorative landscaping, and marble statues. Once the Lapras was gone, there was only one other Pokemon there with Kip.

"Hey Uxie!" he called out as he passed by the Psychic legendary.

"Good afternoon, Kip," Uxie said. "Challenging the dungeon?"

"Yeah. Looking for a Moon Stone."

"I see. Good luck."

"What're you doing here?"

He flicked his tails. "I'm going up as well. I haven't passed this dungeon myself."

"You haven't?"

"My siblings both have. We aren't really geared for battle, though. However, I was asked to come here…"

"Asked?"

"It's nothing for you to concern yourself with. But if I see you within, I will help you."

"Same to you. And good luck back to you."

Uxie nodded. "Right."

The first few levels weren't that bad. Kip stocked up on what berries and seeds he found, and fought off the wild Pokemon that appeared. Doing this built his strength back up; he doubted he'd get back to his regular strength doing so, but every little bit helped. He examined other treasures, but found no accessories that he wanted to replace Sally's scarf with.

That is, until a Meowth snatched the scarf off his neck and ran.

"Hey, give that back! Loser!"

The Meowth whipped around a corner and down a hall. Kip followed, but soon had to admit that the wild Pokemon was gone, as was his Pecha Scarf. He put on a Defense Scarf that he found in the next room and moved on.

As he climbed higher, the traps became more devilish and the wild Pokemon became stronger and smarter. He wound up having to throw away most of his food after stepping on a Grimy Tile that somehow hit all but two Reviver Seeds. Kip grew tempted to eat one after getting hungry, but wound up passing up a passage in order to search for some more food.

In a nearby room, he spotted a Big Apple and a few gummis. "Thanks to the legends," he said, then went in to pick up the apple.

There was a massive chorus of roars as he took the Big Apple. All of a sudden, there were a dozen large Pokemon in the room. Golems, Machokes, Hariyamas, and even a Steelix were all in the previously empty room. And every single one of them would be a nightmare for a Pokemon with the Normalize ability to face. And Normalize just so happened to be one of his two abilities…

"Oh rock smash," Kip said, then rushed from the room back to the passage, holding onto the Big Apple tightly. The mass of enemy Pokemon pounded after him, but didn't pursue him into the passage.

He was able to restore his collection of berries in the next few floors, provided he stayed quick on his feet and bolted the moment more than one Pokemon appeared in the room with him. Which was a nice strategy, except it didn't take into account the occasional Drifblim, which floated into the walls and blasted entire rooms with strange looking winds. Kip learned that if he saw a Drifblim, or heard its unique whooping cry, he ought to go straight to the passage, no matter what.

And then finally, "A Moon Stone!" He picked up the crescent shaped evolution stone in a giddy mood. It held some pale glow, like the moon's, only fainter. As he looked over it, he could feel it stirring his soul up. This would finally let him evolve.

Immediately, it was snatched away by an Aipom. "Oh, shiny!" it squealed.

"Hey! That shiny is mine!" He tackled the Aipom. "Give it back!"

"Ow! That hurt!" The Aipom rushed away. And, like the Meowth thief before it, was soon gone.

"Crud, just my luck," Kip grumbled. "All well. Goodness knows how many stories to go."

A couple floors later, he came across a pretty Gold Ribbon. He wasn't sure what it did, but it didn't seem to change anything when he put it on. So, he stuffed it in his Treasure Bag for later.

A floor after that, he ran into a Shuppet that seemed familiar. "Are you another explorer?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am. I'm Kip of Team Marmalade."

She smiled. "I thought I'd seen you before. I'm Sybil, from Team Ebony."

"Nifty. Since we met up, want to team up for this hellhole?"

"Sure. I'm just looking for an Escape Orb now. I've found some nice items and I'm trying not to lose them. I've got a Dark Cloth that Marcy should like, and a Ghost Cloth for me."

"Nice haul. I'm mostly looking for a Moon Stone. Found one already, but it got snatched from me just as I got it."

"That's too bad. You should be able to find another. By the way, do you have any Reviver Seeds on you? I lost a bunch to…"

There was a shriek and a Misdreavous attacked them. Sybil fainted and was automatically teleported home. That was part of the magic of Zero Island. However, there were a few of her items left behind: some Plain Seeds, a Totter Seed, a Stayaway Orb, and a Ghost Cloth.

Kip snatched the Totter Seed and threw it at the Misdreavous. While it was confused, he snatched the Orb and the Cloth, then bolted for the passage. The Ghost Cloth was of no use to him, nor his teammates. But Sybil might like it back.

Several floors later, Kip came across a Kecleon Shop. "Here, in Zero Island?" he asked the shopkeeper.

"Of course, of course," the Kecleon said. "I got stuck here several years ago, so I opened up shop to serve and help all passing travelers. It's in the best interest of everyone."

"Right, I bet you just pick up the stuff you find here normally and sell it at absurdly high prices."

"N-no. How dare you accuse me of such dishonest business dealings?"

"Business is always dishonest in my experience. But whatever. Whatcha got?" He had, indeed, noticed the Moon Stone that the Kecleon shopkeeper had. But he didn't want to act too interested. Goodness knows what this guy would charge if he showed interest in something.

"I've got some amazing gummis in stock, to boost your talents and get around the island restrictions some. There's even a couple of nice White Gummis that you ought to adore. And I've got Max Elixers, Mix Elixers (which are very rare and hard to find indeed), evolution stones of all sorts. It's probably the best shop you've ever stumbled across, am I right?"

"Maybe. What's your price on the gummis?"

"Eight hundred all around."

"And the Max Elixers?"

"Eight hundred too."

"How about the stones?"

"Those are a thousand Poke a piece."

"Hmmm, I don't know." It would be nice to buy a White Gummi (for a treat; he deserved it for getting this far) and a Moon Stone. But he barely had enough to cover both and it didn't seem right to blow all his money at this shop. Thinking, he pulled out the Gold Ribbon he had found earlier. "Well what would you pay for this?"

Kecleon's eyes went wide. "That… that's one of the fabulous Gold Ribbons, isn't it?"

"That's right," although he didn't see what was so fabulous about it. "What will you buy it for?"

"Two thousand Poke!"

"Okay. Then I'll take a White Gummi and a Moon Stone in trade for the Gold Ribbon and two hundred Poke."

"Deal!" The shopkeeper took the ribbon and hastily gave him the money and the purchases. "Thank you so much for your patronage! I appreciate your business."

"You're welcome to it." He put the Moon Stone safely away and snacked on the White Gummi on his way out of that level.

As the fights got tougher and tougher, Kip found himself running more and more often. But he was making progress. Every now and then, he ran across locked doors. However, he didn't have any keys on him to see what was behind those doors. And even with his history as a theif, he didn't know how to pick locks.

But on one floor, he felt something strange stir in his mind. His treasure… in the past few months, he had forgotten entirely about his quest for a mysterious treasure that belonged only to him. He thought it had been some metaphorical thing that the purity of his soul had tried to tease him with to get him out of the darkness. However, as he came to the passage, he was struck by a deep feeling that his treasure was on the next floor.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked of himself. He just felt a stronger urge to get that treasure.

"HALT!" A ghost appeared from a small triangular shaped stone that was sitting in front of the passage. "No passage!"

"What're you yapping about?" Kip asked.

"This leads to the final floor. You are only getting there over my undead body!"

"If you insist," he said, then tackled the ghost Pokemon. But he rebounded right off the guard's body without damaging it.

It laughed. "You fool! I am Spiritomb! Your Normal attacks do nothing to me, and you have nothing but Normal attacks!" Its laughter entered the maniacal range.

"Aw rock smash," he grumbled. His aura ability of Normalize made every attack he learned that of the Normal type. It was good in some situations, very bad in others like this one.

"There is a way to move on," Spiritomb said. "You must give me one of your treasures in order to pass to the final floor."

"Fine, I've got plenty of stuff." He started looking through his Treasure Bag. "How about some Poke? You can use it at the store a ways back."

"NO! I only want certain treasures. Say…" it blinked in thought, then announced, "either the Ghost Cloth or the Moon Stone."

"What? You cottonpicking picky son of a…"

"Beggers can't be choosers," the Spiritomb taunted. "And I might make you hand over both!"

"Grrr…" Kip finally pulled out the Moon Stone. "Fine. Here you go."

"Thank you. Have fun on the final floor!" It laughed as it took off with his evolution stone.

"The Ghost Cloth isn't mine to give away," he grumbled, then went through the passage to the final floor.

The final floor consisted of the roof of Zero Island Tower. The clouds gathered around him, giving a glistening and magical appearance to the area. There were multicolored stone tiles and two rows of flowering plants. Opposite of the passage and down the row of flowers, there was a marble statue unlike the others below it. This one depicted a graceful four-legged Pokemon with a halo around its body.

But the depiction of Arceus only held Kip's attention for a second. His eyes were soon on something that was hanging off the statue's raised forepaw. Stirred by the breeze and the clouds, the black cloth fluttered around almost hypnotically. Most of it was pure black, midnight. But there were small glittery sparkles of silver, as if the cloth had been cut straight out of the night sky. That cloth was the treasure that belonged only to him.

Without any thoughts of if it might be dishonoring anyone, Kip hopped up onto the pedestal of the statue and snatched the cloth from Arceus' hoof. He brought the cloth down with him. It gave him the same feeling that the Moon Stone did. But what was it? And why was he so certain it belonged to him that he had known that it existed years and years ago?

The identity of the treasure came to his mind as he felt it flutter in his paws.

Eclipse Robe.

* * *

Somewhere out in the Whistling Thicket, there was a large leafy bush that was being battered by rain and winds. A three-quarters moon, hanging at the horizon, was a strange rusty orange. Every now and then, a flash of lightning lit up the thicket.

A Skitty was under the shelter of the bush. With her was a shattered egg and a dead infant. The Skitty sang a soothing wordless song. Finding her child dead before it could be born, she had been shattered in another way. Maybe she had already been unstable. Maybe it was something about this terrible night. She brushed the shell pieces away from the body.

Her song was interrupted for a moment when a sharp edge of eggshell cut into the furless skin on her paw. "No afraid," she said, trying to calm the one who felt nothing. "Small hurt, not big."

Outside of her shelter, there was a loud cracking sound, but not of thunder. There was a sloshing thump on the ground nearby. Worried, the Skitty limped to the edge of the bush and looked at what had fallen there.

It was a strange Pokemon; his aura was pained and exhausted. His black wings were limp and he seemed to be unconscious. Strangely enough, there was a strange flickering to the air around him, like something was left uncertain.

In her broken thoughts, she connected this still figure with the one that lie by the shell fragments under the bush. The Skitty came out from her shelter and sniffed the Pokemon. He was Dark typed; he was alive, although in bad shape. Concerned, she patted his face with her bleeding paw. "Bad night, find shelter," she said quietly.

The uncertain air flashed, causing the Skitty to freeze. After a sharp pop, the strange Pokemon was gone. In his place, there was a small Skitty hatchling, weak and uncertain. But he was alive. He mewed.

The older Skitty was able to come up with a simple fabrication that satisfied her. Her egg had produced twins, and this boy kitten was the survivor. After giving his head a lick, she said, "Bad night. Shelter." She picked him up and brought him under the bush.

After a moment, she transferred her chosen name for the still born child to the changeling child.

"Kip." She set about to making sure that he was clean.

* * *

Darkrai lived a lonely life. That was a reason for it, but it had been so long ago since he was told that he'd forgotten why exactly. Feeling jealous and left out, he tried coming to the places where normal Pokemon lived, to make friends with somebody. Anyone, he wasn't too picky. It was hard, though, when he caused nightmares to those sleeping close to him.

The sound of hooves interrupted his thoughts. He turned and saw an old Rapidash coming up to him. "Oh, hello Alfonzo."

"Hello, Darkrai," he answered, sounding cheerful. "I've been thinking about something. You're pretty talented when it comes to dungeons, but I don't think anybody's taught you properly. Would you like to be my apprentice? I believe that you could be great."

Surprised by the offer, he blinked. "Your apprentice? Like your friend?"

"More or less. But I won't go easy on you. You can't grow better without tough experiences."

Darkrai smiled. "Sure. Thank you so much."

* * *

Trey had been acting oddly today, Kip thought. Of course, he had been acting oddly ever since that incident with the temporal loophole that evolved him. The Grovyle was on one of the sharp rocks in the hidden cave of Sharpedo Bluff, looking out to the ocean. "I just can't take the battles anymore," he said.

"What's so bad about the battles?" Kip asked.

"Nothing," he replied oddly, with a wince. "Nothing's wrong with them. They just remind me of the paralyzed future. You only fought wild Pokemon when you were there. The battles were absolutely savage in that era. And the darkness was so much stronger. I had to kill one of my friends because she got turned by it, and she was trying to kill me. Then there was the battle at Amp Plains…" he rubbed his eyes, although he was already breaking down into tears. "I've wondered how such a thing could happen but it did and I…"

That was when Kip realized that his young friend was actually much older, and had seen even worse things than he had.

* * *

And in the end, who turned out to be responsible for all of that suffering?

* * *

Uxie heaved a sigh as he appeared on the roof of Zero Island Tower. After many failures in the past, he had made it to the top. His brother and sister couldn't tease him about it now. At least, not as much. Now to make sense of Arceus' words…

When he looked ahead, though, he knew what she had meant. Floating in front of the statue of Arceus was Darkrai. His intentions did not feel threatening, nor deceiving. Today, he seemed to be overwhelmed in some thought. There was even fear and guilt, which Uxie had not expected.

He floated to about five feet away and the other didn't notice. "Darkrai," he said, calling for attention.

Startled, he turned to face him quickly. Darkrai looked around for a moment, as if searching for others. Once he assured himself that Uxie was alone, he asked in a wary tone, "What do you want with me this time?"

Uxie felt afraid too, and found himself wondering why he had been asked to do this alone. He could only trust Arceus' wisdom in doing so. "I was asked to ask a question of the one I met up here."

"By who?"

"Arceus."

He thought he'd been at a comfortable distance, just in case anything happened. But then Darkrai had a hold on him. Uxie would have been afraid if he didn't sense that the Dark legend's intentions were completely desperate. "What are you planning on doing to me?" he demanded to know.

After half a second making sure that his voice was calm, Uxie replied, "Nothing else. I just want to ask the question."

"I can't believe that. You all are planning revenge on me, aren't you?"

"Not at this point. You were defeated and lost to time."

"You can't prove that."

"I came alone."

While he didn't use his wings to fly, Darkrai flapped them in agitation. "So what do you want?"

"The question I was told was, why did you do what you did?"

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

He grumbled and looked away. He didn't let go of Uxie, though. For his part, the pixie Pokemon waited in quiet patience. He didn't want to give any reason for Darkrai to lash out at him. In fact, he did everything he could to suggest that he would listen openly. Except for opening his eyes. That would be a threat.

As the silence went on, Darkrai became noticably more nervous and conflicted. Then he said, "I wanted revenge."

"Revenge? For what?"

"For what I am," he said with a spiteful scowl. "I want to know why this was allowed to go on, why the rest of you were such idiots that you didn't think that I was to blame. And why I was allowed to be this way."

"I'm sorry," Uxie said quietly, "but what do you mean? Why do you want revenge for what you are?"

On accident, that incited him. "I thought you would be one of the few who could understand that! Not because of your knowledge, but because of your curse. You know the sacredness of memory, but you are one of the few who can remove all memory at will, or even against your will."

He twisted his tails together. "But that's…"

"You don't understand that either, do you?" Darkrai calmed some. "I was given a trickster mind, much like the others of the Dark type. I was given the power to form nightmare illusions from a being's innermost soul. But that wasn't the worst of it. The worst of it is my ability, which inflicts nightmares on anyone who is sleeping in my vicinity."

"Bad Dreams?"

He frowned, but didn't seem angry at Uxie anymore. "No one trusts me because of that. No one wants to be near me. Cresselia hated me just on that principle, and no one else would spend more time than they had to around me. And I'm sure even you will leave here as soon as you can. That is why I want revenge, and why I felt most comfortable in the era of darkness."

"You felt comfortable then?" Uxie said, trying not to sound sickened by it. He could understand it as it had been explained… but still, remembering the absolute loneliness after his death was something he did not want to do.

"Because everyone was as lonely and distant as I was," Darkrai said. "And there is no reason now that won't prevent me from doing that all over again. I know, despite you coming here alone, that the rest of you will come after me, to hand over some terrible judgment and punishment simply because I acted upon what I was! There is no reason for me to stop, as I have nothing to lose."

Their conversation was interrupted by a trumpet-like sound. For a moment, Uxie wondered if Arceus was there. Darkrai let him go and backed off. When the pixie looked over, he realized that it had been a conch shell. Manaphy was abruptly there on the rooftop with them, with the shell hanging by a cord around his neck.

The child-like legend came up to them, grinning. "Kip! I learned how to teleport!"

Uxie was puzzled, but Darkrai wasn't. "That you have," he said, obscuring his feelings from just moments before. "But how do you know it's me?"

Laughing, Manaphy tugged at the bottom fringe of Darkrai's Eclipse Robe. "I know you; I remember people forever. I wanted to see you again, so I would appear right near you. And you can't be Uxie. That's silly."

"But you'd also remember what I did to you," he replied. By his senses, Uxie knew that Darkrai felt genuine guilt about it now.

"Yeah," Manaphy admitted. "But you weren't Kip then. You are Kip now, though! And you rescued me, from yourself." He burst into giggles, finding it hilarious. "So, you are Manaphy's friend and hero forever and ever."

At that, Darkrai smiled partway, then picked Manaphy up. "If you would accept me as that."

"Of course. Oh, and you don't have any fur now! You can come home with me and see all the places I've found under the water! Come on, I'll show you my favorite places to play."

He still seemed uncertain. Uxie decided to speak up then. "You can do as you wish," he said. "You experienced both sides of this recent conflict. Thus, you understand the lessons it held deeper than others."

He bowed his head. "It may take some time for me to fully understand what's happened, but…"

Checking that, the ocean's prince patted him with a flipper. "But you'll come and play with me now, right?"

"Sure. Would you take me back to your home?"

"Yeah! I can do this!" Manaphy then teleported himself and Darkrai away.

* * *

For a minute, Uxie remained on the roof of Zero Island Tower, considering what had occurred. Then he turned to the statue of Arceus. "It seems everything worked out in the end. You trusted us all, didn't you? Manaphy teaches us of purity, love, and peace. You trusted in that to teach us all, even the one that we had neglected."

But he felt that Darkrai had a point; others might still continue to demonize him, even though that prejudice, not any internal leaning towards evil, had been the ultimate cause of everything which had happened recently. If it were not addressed, something else might occur. It would be a difficult argument to make.

As no one was around him, Uxie opened his eyes to look on the statue himself. "But maybe I'm the one who can best make that argument in his defense."

His business here was finished. He closed his eyes and teleported away to Arceus' location to make his report.

* * *

Two months after Kip left for Zero Island, he returned to Treasure Town. Stacy noticed that he no longer had his Pecha Scarf. Instead, he wore a curious black scarf that had silver glitters embedded in the fabric. And he was talking with Sybil. "Oh, you're wonderful," the Shuppet said, holding onto a Silver Cloth. "I didn't expect to get this back."

The Skitty nodded. "It's fine. I hope it helps you guys out."

"It will. Thanks again." Sybil drifted away.

"Oh, you're doing something completely selfless," Stacy teased him.

"I thought you didn't like the pro bono line," Trey added.

"Aw, come off it you two," Kip retorted. "She got pretty far on her own, so it was a pity that she had to leave the treasure that would help her best behind."

The Wartortle gave him a hug. "But you must have gotten to the top, right? Given you've been away for so long."

"Yeah, I got there. It was epic."

"Did you get your Moon Stone?"

He pulled a yellow stone out of his Treasure Bag. "I've got one, all right. But not from Zero Island. I got this from Sally."

"Sally?" they both asked. "What have you been up to?" Trey added.

"It's gonna take a long time to explain this," Kip said. He bowed his head. "Although letting you know… it could change things. But I hope we can remain friends."

"Nothing could change that," Stacy said.

He smiled to that, but seemed a little sad. "That is what I hope for, and all that I wanted."


End file.
